1  1 

P/Psych. 
lib. 

IB 


cs 

1885 
top.  2 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


ft.  LJ~  by 


Pedagogical  SLtfrrarg  — 6 


PESTALOZZPS 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


TRANSLATED  AND  ABRIDGED 


BY 


EVA  CHANNING. 


BOSTON : 
PUBLISHED  BY  D.  C.  HEATH  &  CO. 

1908 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18ft5,  by 

EVA  CHANNING, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Ed./Psych. 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

l£K 

PESTALOZZI'S  "Leonard  and  Gertrude"  was  first  published  in 
the  year  1781,  when  about  one  fourth  of  the  whole  work  appeared. 
Three  more  volumes  came  out  in  1783,  1785  and  1787.  In 
1790-92  a  second  edition,  revised  and  condensed  by  the  author, 
appeared  in  three  volumes.  When  Pestalozzi  collected  his  works, 
and  had  them  published  by  Cotta  in  Stuttgart  (1819-26),  he 
remodelled  the  first  edition,  especially  the  last  three  volumes, 
expanding  it  to  such  a  degree  that  the  whole  work  was  intended 
to  occupy  six  volumes.  Of  these,  only  the  first  four  appeared, 
the  manuscript  of  the  fifth  being  lost  after  the  author's  death. 
Seyffarth's  more  modern  edition,  which  fills  five  volumes,  aims  to 
hold  fast  to  what  is  best  in  the  first  edition,  without  losing  sight 
of  the  added  material  in  the  third,  often  calling  attention  in  the 
notes  to  the  divergence  of  the  two. 

An  abridged  translation  of  "Leonard  and  Gertrude"  is  beset; 
with  many  difficulties,  since  the  different  editions  vary  consid-' 
erably  from  each  other,  and  it  is  impossible  to  hold  to  one  of 
them  consistently  throughout.  In  the  preparation  of  the  present 
book,  the  only  accessible  material  was  the  following :  the  cheap 
Ileclam  edition,  comprising  the  first  two  volumes  aone,  and  fol- 
lowing in  the  main  the  original  edition ;  the  expanded  but 
incomplete  Cotta  edition;  the  eclectic  edition  of  Seyffarth  in 
five  volumes ;  and  the  latter's  shortened  popular  version  in  one 
volume  (1874),  which,  however,  was  far  too  prolix  to  serve  as  the 

1 G7G2GO 


iv  TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

basis  of  the  present  book.  Vol.  VII  of  the  "  American  Journal  of 
Education "  (1859)  contains  a  very  literal  English  translation  of 
the  original  first  volume  (a  reprint  of  the  London  translation 
of  1824,  with  corrections),  beside  extracts  from  later  portions 
of  the  work,  regarding  the  school  in  Bonnal ;  these  last  are  trans- 
lated by  Mr.  Frederick  B.  Perkins,  from  a  work  by  Christoffel 
which  has  extracts  from  the  first  edition.  This  volume  of  the 
Journal  also  gives  a  useful  list  of  publications  by  and  relating  to 
Pestalozzi. 

A  more  diffuse  and  tedious  style  than  Pestalozzi's  can  hardly 
be  imagined,  as  the  reader  can  convince  himself  by  turning  to 
the  London  translation  above  mentioned.  Despite  the  high  moral 
tone,  sound  common  sense,  and  rare  insight  into  human  character 
which  are  everywhere  displayed,  it  is  impossible  to  read  half  a 
dozen  pages  without  a  disposition  to  yawn.  This  circumstance, 
added  to  the  unwieldy  dimensions  of  the  work,  may  serve  as 
some  excuse  for  the  wholesale  process  of  abridgment  adopted 
in  the  present  volume.  Owing  to  this  condensation,  much  of 
the  quaint  simplicity  of  the  original  has  of  necessity  been  sacri- 
ficed, although  it  has  been  retained  to  some  degree  in  the  dia- 
logues. The  scenes  with  Gertrude  and  her  children  have  suffered 
the  least  mutilation  of  any  in  the  book,  since  they  are  not  only 
among  the  most  charming,  but  also  possess  the  greatest  value 
from  an  educational  point  of  view. 

Externally,  "Leonard  and  Gertrude"  occupies  a  somewhat 
peculiar  position  in  literature,  since  it  is  neither  precisely  a  story, 
nor  a  pedagogical  treatise.  It  might  rather  be  called  a  realistic 
picture  of  Swiss  peasant  life  in  the  last  century,  which  if  not  of 
absorbing  interest,  yet  contains  much  that  is  curious  and  instruc- 
tive concerning  old  manners  and  customs.  But  the  moral  value 
of  the  work  is  far  more  than  this.  The  village  of  Bonnal  is 
intended  to  typify  the  world,  and  in  describing  the  measures 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE.  v 

taken  jfco^  reform  the  corruption  and  raise  the  moral  standard  of 
this  little  community,  the  author  expresses  his  views  on  some 
of  the  greatest  social  and  political  questions  of  all  ages.  His 
opinions  and  theories  on  educational  topics  are  scattered  inci- 
dentally throughout  the  book,  although  they  find  their  fullest 
expression  in  Chapters  VIII,  X,  XVI,  XVII,  XXIII,  XXV, 
XXXI,  XXXII. 

We  cannot  help  being  struck  with  the  high  esteem  in  which 
woman  is  held  by  Pestalozzi.  In  Gertrude  he  has  not  only 
painted  the  loving  wife  and  mother,  the  charitable  neighbor, 
and  the  thrifty  housekeeper;  but  he  has  made  her  a  pattern  of 
high  moral  rectitude,  endowed  her  with  remarkable  executive 
ability,  and  given  her  an  intellectual  clear-sightedness  of  a  very 
high  order.  Thus  it  is  Gertrude  alone  who  originates  the 
improved  system  of  education  which  is  afterward  transferred  to 
the  Bonnal  school.  Furthermore,  after  adopting  her  principles, 
the  organizers  of  the  new  school  declare  that  the  cooperation  of 
her  mother's  heart  is  essential  to  insure  its  success,  notwith- 
standing that  the  schoolmaster  will  bring  a  father's  heart  into 
his  new  vocation.  We  also  find  a  striking  tribute  to  the  sound 
judgment  of  enlightened  womanhood,  in  the  provision  made  by 
Arner,  that  the  commission  appointed  to  investigate  the  value  of 
the  innovations  in  Bonnal  shall  include  women  of  various  classes, 
"  who  shall  view  the  matter  with  their  woman's  eyes,  and  be  sure 
that  there  is  nothing  visionary  in  the  background." 

It  is  hoped  that  the  present  shortened  version  of  "Leonard 
and  Gertrude,"  despite  its  many  imperfections,  may  secure  for 
this  remarkable  book  of  a  remarkable  man  a  still  wider  and 
more  appreciative  circle  of  readers  than  it  has  hitherto  found. 

E.  G 


INTRODUCTION. 


THIS  homely  tale  was  not  written  for  the  modern  novel-reader. 
It  is  a  story  of  deep  and  ardent  love,  not  for  an  individual, 
but  for  the  wretched,  the  weak,  and  for  children.  Though  he 
wrote  much,  the  author  could  tell  no  tale  but  this.  Its  purpose 
was  his  earnest  inner  life,  and  its  details  a  picture  of  his  own 
surroundings,  as  humble  and  as  realistically  depicted  as  anything 
in  Heyse  or  Auerbach.  It  is  of  peasants  who  kick  their  wives, 
of  hungry  children  who  steal  a  handful  of  raw  potatoes,  and  who 
only  on  gala-days  have  the  cream  left  on  their  milk;  of  literal 
dunghills  and  stable-drains.  It  is,  moreover,  fairly  packed  with 
incident  and  character.  The  hypocrite,  the  fool,  the  gossip,  the 
miser,  the  sot,  the  sycophant,  the  schemer,  the  just  judge,  the  good 
parson,  the  intriguing  woman  from  the  court,  the  old  schoolmaster 
enraged  at  a  new  departure  in  education,  the  quack  doctor  sen- 
tenced to  dig  the  graves  of  those  he  kills,  and  many  more,  stand 
out  from  these  pages  in  as  sharp  relief  as  words  can  well  paint 
them.  The  action  is  all  intense.  The  bailiff's  wife  runs  home 
from  church  as  fast  as  her  legs  can  carry  her;  her  husband 
is  repeatedly  so  terrified  he  cannot  speak ;  and  his  accomplice 
rolls  on  the  floor  in  his  remorse,  and  beats  himself  with  his 
fists.  The  death  of  Kudy's  mother  is  full  of  pathos.  The  pur- 
suit of  Hummel  by  the  devil  is  extremely  humorous ;  the 
scene  under  the  gallows,  where  he  confesses  himself  willing 
to  die,  and  where  his  fingers  are  indelibly  stained,  is  very 
impressive. 


Vlll  INTKODTTCTION. 

Moreover,  as  a  picture  of  a  somewhat  primitive  village  con& 
munity,  the  story  is  replete  with  interest  and  instruction.  Th& 
large  public  square  where  the  people  assemble;  the  extensive 
common,  the  division  of  which  among  individual  proprietors  is 
one  thread  of  interest  throughout  the  book;  the  public  hang- 
man's tree ;  the  bailiff  beer-house  keeper,  with  everybody  in  his 
debt,  listening  at  the  windows,  extracting  the  domestic  secrets 
of  all  his  customers;  the  petty  thieveries  and  deceits  and 
superstitions;  the  intrigues,  scandals,  lies,  amidst  which  nothing 
thrived  but  the  beer-house ;  and  lastly  the  great,  beneficent  magis- 
trate in  the  old  manor-house  in  the  distant  background,  watch- 
ing like  a  good  Providence  over  all  the  affairs  of  the  hamlet, 
and  meting  out  justice  in  the  market,  and  whom  no  one  could 
deceive  or  thwart,  —  these  scenes  are  all  as  strange  to  us  as  they 
were  real  to  Pestalozzi.  The  art,  in  a  word,  reminds  one  of 
that  of  the  large,  colored  charts,  for  combined  language  and 
object  teaching,  on  the  walls  of  so  many  German  schoolrooms, — 
masses  of  strong  colors,  a  crowd  of  things  and  persons,  without 
attempted  art  or  unity,  but  far  truer  to  and  richer  in  life,  for 
a  child's  eye,  than  anything  in  the  art  galleries.  Unlike  these 
charts,  however,  it  has  a  purpose  which  lifts  it  far  above  these 
details  to  a  moral  plain,  the  highest  to  which  literary  art  can 
attain. 

There  was  one  good  woman  in  this  dismal  hamlet,  —  Ger- 
trude, the  mason's  wife,  who  trudged  many  miles  one  day  to 
see  the  county  magistrate,  and  beg  work  for  her  husband,  and 
to  complain  of  the  bad  arts  of  the  wicked  bailiff,  whose  beer 
made  her  husband  drunk.  Her  faltering  story  was  heard,  and 
her  husband  obtained  the  job  of  building  a  new  church;  and 
at  length,  after  a  long  struggle,  the  bailiff  was  exposed  and  fell. 
Gertrude  had  taught  her  own  children  home  industries  and 
maxims,  hymns,  prayers,  and  cleanliness  and  courtesy,  and  finally 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

allowed  the  children  of  a  neighbor  to  come  in.  An  idle  man  of 
a  noble  but  decayed  family  witnessed  her  home-school,  and  at 
length  resolved  to  be  a  schoolmaster  himself.  Gertrude  could 
not  tell  him  much  of  her  secret,  though  occasionally  she  let  fall 
a  "key-word."  She  felt  that  the  school  should  stand  in  the 
closest  relation  with  home  life,  and  not  in  opposition  to  it ; 
that  it  should  be  a  larger  circle  drawn  about  the  fireside 
hearth ;  that  verbal  instruction  should  vanish  in  the  spirit  of 
real  activity.  The  schoolmaster's  establishment  flourished.  The 
preacher  was  interested,  and  realized  that  his  sermons  were  too 
refined  and  doctrinal,  and  not  practical,  and  changed  his  style. 
The  whole  spirit  of  home  life  and  of  industry  gradually  revived. 
A  few  of  the  best  citizens  met  weekly  to  discuss  the  larger 
educational  question  of  commercial  prosperity.  The  royal  cabi- 
net became  interested,  studied  Bonnal,  —  which  had  become  the 
thriftiest  hamlet  in  Switzerland,  —  and  at  length  concluded,  that, 
if  the  ministry  of  a  realm  should  seriously  and  deeply  desire 
reform,  they  could  set  about  it  in  no  better  or  more  radical 
way  than  by  imitating  Bonnal.  Here  was,  in  fact,  the  prin- 
ciple of  universal  government. 

Thus  Bonnal  is  the  world;  the  bailiff  is  intemperance,  in- 
trigue, and  all  influences  which  degrade  society;  and  Gertrude 
is  the  Good  Teacher  by  whom  alone  the  world  is  to  be  saved, 
if  it  is  to  be  saved  at  all.  We  shall  not  read  this  story  as  we 
ought  if  we  forget  that  there  are  hundreds  of  communities  in 
our  land  to-day  in  the  same  need  as  was  Bonnal  of  a  regenera- 
tion so  radical  that  only  these  same  slow  methods  of  practical, 
ethical  education  can  ever  accomplish  it.  Such  a  regeneration 
is  not  to  be  effected  by  endowments,  legislation,  or  by  new 
methods,  important  as  these  are,  but,  as  Pestalozzi  thought,  by 
the  love  and  devotion  of  noble  women  overflowing  from  the 
domestic  circle  into  the  community,  by  the  good  Gertrudes  of  all 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

stations  in  life,  the  born  educators  of  the  race,  whose  work  and 
whose  "  key-words  "  we  men-pedagogues  must  ponder  well  if  our 
teaching  is  to  be  ethically  inspired. 

This  book  represents  the  culmination  of  Pestalozzi's  influ- 
ence. Royal  personages  came  to  see  him,  and  gave  him  pres- 
ents. Herbart,  Fichte,  and  many  others,  lit  their  torches  at 
the  fire  he  kindled  here.  This  is  a  book  which  all  good 
teachers  should  read  with  care,  and,  having  read  it,  will 
thank  the  translator  for  the  great  and  discriminating  labor 
she  has  spent  upon  the  very  voluminous  and  intractable  original 
in  converting  it  into  the  present  pleasing  form. 

G.  STANLEY  HALL. 

JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNITOBSITT, 
March  4, 1885. 


CONTENTS. 


PACT. 

TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE iii 

INTRODUCTION  BY  DR.  G.  STANLEY  HALL vii 

CHAPTER. 

I.    A  weak  man,  a  brave  woman  and  a  fatherly 

ruler 1 

IT.    A  tyrant  appears  and  finds  his  master  ....  6 

HI.    How  peasants  talk  and  rogues  plan 13 

IV.    Home  joys 19 

V.     The  death-bed  of  a  good  woman 24 

VI.    Repentance,  hypocrisy,  roguery  and  false  pride   .  31 

VII.    How  rogues  deal  with  one  another 37 

VIII.     A  good  mother's  Saturday  evening 42 

IX.     Two  sermons  and  their  results 48 

X.    Sunday  joys  and  childish  character 52 

XI.     The  Bailiff  grows  still  more  angry 59 

XII.    Rats  desert  a  sinking  ship  and  the  Devil  appears 

to  the  inhabitants  of  Bonnal 64 

XIIL    The  culprit  confesses  and  receives  his  sentence  .  69 

XIV.    A  ghostly  comedy 73 

XV.     The  forgiving  generosity  of  a  poor  man  and  the 

punishment  of  a  malefactor 78 

XVI.    Domestic  order  and  disorder 84 

X  VH.    Disturbance  reigns  throughout  the  village,  except 

in  one  house 90 

XVHI.    It  is  only  friends  in  need  that  are  friends  indeed  96 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

XIX.    The  new  Bailiff  finds  his  office  a  perplexing  one  .  100 

XX.    A  curious  assembly 105 

XXI.    Arner  metes  out  justice  and  a  dying  woman  asks 

forgiveness Ill 

XXII.    Plans  of  regeneration  in  Bonnal 116 

XXIII.  Much  apprehension  and  one  peaceful  home     .    .  120 

XXIV.  Woman's  artifice  against  woman 124 

XXV.     Gertrude's  method  of  instruction 129 

XXVI.    Match-making  and  school-making 132 

XXVII.     A  singular  courtship 136 

XXVIII.     How  slander  is  punished  and  the  common  divided  139 

XXIX.     A  day  of  judgment 144 

XXX.     The  younger  generation  brings  hope  and  comfort 

to  the  people's  father 148 

XXXI.     The  organization  of  a  new  school 152 

XXXII.     A  good  pastor  and  schoolmaster ;   the  opening  of 

a  new  era 156 

XXXUL    A  disturbing  element  and  an  exciting  adventure  .  160 

XXXIV.    The  peasants  take  justice  into  their  own  hands  .  164 
XXXV.    Results  of  Arner's  illness  and  the  betrothal  of  a 

step-mother 168 

XXXVI.     Suspense,  joy  and  a  wedding 172 

XXXVII.    Conclusion  .  176 


LEONARD  AND  GEETEUDE. 

CHAPTER    I. 

A  WEAK  MAN,  A  BRAVE  WOMAN,  AND  A  FATHERLY  RULER. 

IN  the  village  of  Bonnal  there  lived  a  mason  named 
Leonard.  His  trade  would  have  enabled  him  to  sup- 
port his  family  of  a  wife  and  seven  children,  if  he  could 
have  resisted  the  temptation  to  frequent  the  tavern,  where 
there  were  always  enough  idle  loafers  to  entice  him  in,  and 
induce  the  good-natured,  easy-going  man  to  squander  his 
earnings  in  drink  and  gambling.  Leonard  always  repented 
his  weakness  when  he  saw  his  children  want  for  bread,  yet 
was  not  strong  enough  to  reform.  He  was  blest  with  a 
good,  pious  wife,  who  was  overwhelmed  with  sorrow  at  the 
ruin  which  seemed  to  stare  them  in  the  face. 

Gertrude  had  always  contrived  to  conceal  her  sadness 
from  the  children,  but  one  day,  when  her  husband  remained 
away  from  home  longer  than  usual,  she  was  so  overcome 
with  anxiety  and  grief  that  the  little  ones  saw  her  weep. 
"You  are  crying,  mother!  "  they  exclaimed  in  chorus,  and 
crowding  about  her,  added  their  tears  to  hers.  Even  the 
baby  in  her  arms  seemed  to  feel  a  premonition  of  sorrow, 
and  looked  up  in  her  face  for  the  first  time  without  a  smile. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  afflicted  mother,  who  now  wept 
aloud,  accompanied  by  the  sobs  of  the  children.  Their 
grief  was  at  its  height  when  the  door  opened,  and  Leonard 


2  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

entered.  Gertrude's  face  was  hidden,  and  the  children  were 
clinging  about  her,  too  much  engrossed  with  their  mother's 
distress  to  notice  the  approach  of  their  father. 

"Merciful  heavens,  what  is  it?"  he  cried,  turning  pale 
as  death.  They  looked  up  at  the  sound  of  his  voice,  and 
the  violence  of  their  lamentation  ceased.  "  Gertrude,  what 
dreadful  sorrow  is  this?  "  he  asked  again. 

"Dear  husband,  heavy  cares  oppress  my  heart,  and  when 
you  are  away,  my  misery  is  still  greater." 

"Gertrude,"  said  Leonard;  "I  know  why  you  weep, — 
wretch  that  I  am ! " 

She  led  the  children  away,  and  Leonard  laid  his  head  in 
her  lap  without  speaking.  The  quiet  was  broken  only  by 
his  sobs,  for  Gertrude  was  praying  silently.  Finally  she 
spoke:  "  Leonard,  trust  in  God's  mercy,  and  take  courage 
to  do  right ! " 

"  O  Gertrude ! "  was  all  he  could  say  amid  his  tears. 

"Take  courage,  dear,"  she  repeated,  "and  trust  in  your 
Father  in  heaven.  I  would  not  willingly  grieve  you,  and 
you  well  know  that  I  do  not  ask  for  more  than  bread  and 
water  at  your  side ;  and  that  I  often  work  uncomplainingly 
till  long  past  midnight  for  you  and  the  children.  But,  hus- 
band, I  should  not  feel  I  was  true  to  you  or  our  dear  ones 
if  I  concealed  my  cares  from  you.  Our  children  are  loving 
and  dutiful  now ;  but  they  will  not  remain  so  if  we  do  not 
fulfil  our  obligation  as  parents.  Think  how  you  would  feel 
if  all  our  little  ones  should  lose  their  gratitude  and  respect 
for  us  through  our  fault !  And  could  you  bear  to  see  your 
Nicholas,  your  Jonas,  your  Lizzie  and  Annie,  homeless  and 
forced  to  seek  their  bread  among  strangers  ?  It  would  kill 
me ! "  and  her  tears  flowed  as  she  spoke. 

Leonard  wept  also.  "  O  Gertrude,  what  shall  I  do?  It 
breaks  my  heart  to  make  you  miserable,  but  I  cannot  help  it. 
I  owe  the  Bailiff  Hummel  thirty  florins,  and  if  I  stay  away 


LEONARD   AND  GERTRUDE.  3 

from  his  tavern,  he  threatens  me  with  the  law ;  yet  if  1  go, 
he  gets  possession  of  all  my  wages." 

"Can  you  not  go  to  Arner,  the  people's  father?  All  the 
widows  and  orphans  praise  him,  and  I  think  he  would  give 
you  advice  and  protection." 

"  Gertrude,  I  dare  not !  How  could  I,  a  poor  miserable 
drunkard,  complain  of  the  Bailiff,  who  has  a  thousand  ways' 
of  blackening  me  in  the  eyes  of  his  superior?  And  thinkl 
how  he  would  revenge  himself  if  I  should  try  it  and  fail ! " 

"But  he  will  ruin  you  in  any  case.  Leonard,  think  of 
your  children,  and  go.  If  you  do  not,  I  shall !  " 

"  I  dare  not !  But,  Gertrude,  if  you  have  the  courage,  go 
to  Arner  in  Heaven's  name,  and  tell  him  all." 

"I  will!"  she  answered.  She  prayed  throughout  the 
tjleepless  night,  and  the  next  morning  took  her  blooming 
baby  and  walked  two  long  hours  to  the  Castle. 

The  nobleman  was  sitting  under  a  linden-tree  at  the  gate, 
and  saw  her  as  she  approached,  with  tears  in  her  eyes  and 
the  infant  on  her  arm.  "Who  are  }*ou,  my  daughter,  and 
what  do  you  wish?"  he  asked,  in  sp  kind  a  tone  that  she 
took  heart  to  answer:  "I  am  Gertrude,  wife  of  the  mason 
Leonard  in  Bonnal." 

"  You  are  a  good  woman,"  said  Arner.  "  I  have  noticed 
that  your  children  behave  better  than  all  the  others  in  the 
village,  and  they  seem  better  fed,  although  I  hear  you  are 
very  poor.  What  can  I  do  for  you,  my  daughter?" 

"  O  gracious  Sir,  for  a  long  time  my  husband  has  owed 
thirty  florins  to  the  Bailiff  Hummel,  a  hard  man,  who  leads 
him  into  all  sorts  of  temptation.  Leonard  is  in  his  power  : 
so  he  dares  not  keep  away  from  the  tavern,  where  day  after 
day  he  spends  the  wages  which  ought  to  buy  bread  for  his 
family.  We  have  seven  little  children,  Sir,  and  unless  some- 
thing is  done  we  shall  all  be  beggars.  I  ventured  to  come  to 
you  for  help,  because  I  know  that  you  have  compassion  for 


4  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

the  widowed  and  fatherless.  I  have  brought  the  money  I 
have  laid  aside  for  my  children,  to  deposit  with  you,  if  you 
will  be  so  good  as  to  make  some  arrangement  so  that  the 
Bailiff  shall  not  torment  my  husband  any  more  until  he  is 
paid." 

Arner  took  up  a  cup  which  stood  near,  and  said  to  Ger- 
trude :  ' '  Drink  this  tea,  and  give  your  pretty  baby  some  of 
this  milk."  She  blushed,  and  was  moved  even  to  tears  by 
his  fatherly  kindness. 

The  nobleman  now  requested  her  to  relate  her  causes  of 
complaint  against  the  Bailiff,  and  listened  attentively  to  her 
story  of  the  cares  and  troubles  of  many  years.  Suddenly 
he  asked  her  how  it  had  been  possible  to  lay  aside  money  for 
her  children  in  the  midst  of  her  distress. 

"It  was  very  hard,  gracious  Sir;  yet  I  could  not  help 
feeling  as  if  the  money  were  not  mine,  but  had  been  given 
me  by  a  dying  man  on  his  death-bed,  in  trust  for  his  chil- 
dren. So  when  in  the  hardest  times  I  had  to  borrow  from  it 
to  buy  bread  for  the  family,  I  gave  myself  no  rest  till  by 
working  late  and  early  J  had  paid  it  back  again." 

Gertrude  laid  seven  neat  packages  on  the  table,  each  of 
which  had  a  ticket  attached,  saying  whose  it  was ;  and  if  she 
had  taken  anything  from  it,  the  fact  was  noted,  and  likewise 
when  she  had  replaced  it.  She  saw  him  read  these  tickets 
through  attentively,  and  said  blushing:  "I  ought  to  have 
taken  those  papers  away,  gracious  Sir." 

Arner  only  smiled,  and  admired  the  modesty  which  shrank 
from  even  merited  praise.  He  added  something  to  each 
parcel,  saying :  "Carry  back  your  children's  money,  Ger- 
trude ;  I  will  lay  aside  thirty  florins  until  the  Bailiff  is  paid. 
Now  go  home  ;  I  shall  be  in  the  village  to-morrow,  at  all 
events,  and  will  settle  the  matter  with  Hummel." 

"  God  reward  you,  gracious  Sir ! "  she  faltered ;  and 
started  joyfully  with  her  baby  on  the  long  homeward  way. 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  5 

Leonard  saw  her  as  she  approached  the  house.  "Already 
back  again?"  he  cried.  "You  have  been  successful  with 
Arner." 

' '  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"I  can  see  it  in  your  face,  my  dear  wife,  —  you  cannot 
deceive  me." 

From  this  time  forward,  when  the  mason's  'children  said 
their  prayers  at  morning  and  evening,  they  prayed  not  only 
for  their  father  and  mother,  but  also  for  Arner,  the  people's 
father. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  TYRANT  APPEARS,  AND   FINDS   HIS   MASTER. 

THAT  evening,  when  the  Bailiff  went  to  Arner  for  orders, 
the  latter  remarked:  "I  am  coming  to  Bonnal  myself 
to-morrow;  I  want  to  arrange  about  the  building  of  the 
church." 

"Is  your  Grace's  master-mason  at  liberty  now,  gracious 
Sir?" 

"  No ;  but  there  is  a  mason  in  your  village,  named  Leon- 
ard, whom  I  should  be  glad  to  employ.  Why  have  you 
never  recommended  him  to  me  before  ?  " 

"With  a  low  bow  the  Bailiff  replied :  "  I  should  not  have 
dared  to  recommend  the  poor  mason  for  any  of  your  Wor- 
ship's buildings." 

"  Is  he  a  reliable  man?" 

"Yes,  your  Grace  may  depend  upon  him;  he  is  faithful- 
ness itself." 

"  They  say  he  has  an  excellent  wife  ;  are  you  sure  she  is 
no  busybody?  "  inquired  Arner  with  emphasis. 

"  No ;  she  is  really  a  quiet,  industrious  woman." 

w  Very  well ;  be  at  the  churchyard  at  nine  to-morrow 
morning.  I  will  meet  you  there." 

Soon  after  this  conversation,  the  Bailiff  was  knocking  vio- 
lently at  the  door  of  the  mason's  little  hut,  where  Leonard 
and  Gertrude  were  still  sitting  at  the  supper-table.  The 
mason  recognized  the  voice  of  the  envious  Bailiff,  and  hastily 
pushing  the  food  into  a  corner,  he  turned  deadly  pale  as  he 
went  to  open  the  door. 


LEONARD   AND  GERTRUDE.  7 

Like  a  hungry  hound,  the  Bailiff  scented  the  hidden  viands, 
but  spoke  with  feigned  friendliness :  ' '  You  are  having  an 
easy  time,  my  good  people ;  it's  not  so  hard  to  do  without 
the  tavern,  is  it,  Leonard?" 

The  mason  cast  down  his  eyes  in  silence,  but  Gertrude  was 
bolder.  "  What  are  your  commands,  Sir  Bailiff?"  she  said. 
"  I  wonder  you  should  come  nearer  than  the  window  of  so 
poor  a  house  as  this." 

Concealing  his  anger,  Hummel  answered  with  a  smile : 
"It  is  true  I  should  not  have  expected  to  find  such  good 
fare  here,  or  I  might  have  called  oftener." 

This  irritated  Gertrude.  "Bailiff!"  she  exclaimed, 
"  you  smell  our  supper,  and  grudge  it  to  us.  You  ought  to 
be  ashamed  to  spoil  a  poor  man's  meal,  when  perhaps  he 
doesn't  get  so  good  a  one  three  times  a  year." 

"  That  was  not  my  intention,"  returned  the  magistrate, 
still  with  a  smile.  But  the  next  moment  he  added  seriously : 
"You  are  too  inclined  to  be  insolent,  Gertrude,  which  doen 
not  become  poor  people.  It  might  be  worth  your  while  to 
reflect  that  you  may  perhaps  have  some  dealings  with  me 
yet, — but  enough  of  that!  I  am  always  well  disposed 
toward  your  husband,  and  can  give  you  proofs  of  it." 

"  My  husband  is  enticed  into  drinking  and  gaming  every 
day  in  your  tavern,  and  afterwards  I  with  my  children  have 
to  suffer  every  misery  at  home ;  that  is  the  service  we  owe 
you!" 

"You  wrong  me,  Gertrude.  It  is  true  your  husband  is 
rather  a  sorry  fellow,  and  I  have  told  him  so  myself ;  but  in 
my  tavern  I  must  give  food  and  drink  to  every  one  who  asks 
for  it.  Everybody  does  the  same." 

"  Yes  ;  but  not  everybody  threatens  a  poor  man  with  the 
law,  if  he  does  not  double  his  debts  every  year." 

Furiously  the  Bailiff  turned  to  Leonard.  "  Are  these  the 
sort  of  tales  you  tell  of  me,  you  rascal?  It's  lucky  I  havo 


8  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

all  your  bills  and  memoranda  in  my  hands !  Perhaps  you 
will  venture  to  dispute  my  claims  ?  " 

"  That  would  not  enter  my  head,"  said  Leonard.  "  Ger- 
trude is  only  anxious  for  me  to  make  no  new  debts." 

Controlling  himself,  Hummel  observed  in  a  milder  tone : 
"  There's  no  great  harm  in  that ;  but  you  are  the  man  of 
the  house,  and  she  certainly  will  not  want  to  tie  you  to  her 
apron-strings." 

"By  no  means,  Bailiff,"  said  Gertrude.  "On  the  con- 
trary, I  would  like  to  free  him  from  the  bonds  which  already 
hold  him ;  that  is,  your  book,  Sir  Bailiff,  and  your  fine  mem- 
oranda." 

"  He  has  only  to  pay  me,  and  then  he  will  be  free  as  air." 

"  That  he  will  be  able  to  do,  if  he  makes  no  fresh  debts." 

"  You  are  proud,  Gertrude,  — but  we  will  see  !  I  imagine 
you  would  rather  have  your  husband  feast  at  home  with  you 
than  drink  a  glass  of  wine  with  me." 

"That  is  contemptible,  Bailiff!  but  your  words  have  no 
power  to  hurt  me." 

Hummel  could  bear  it  no  longer,  and  took  an  abrupt  leave, 
wondering  what  could  have  occurred  to  make  Gertrude  so 
bold.  It  was  almost  midnight  before  he  reached  home,  but 
he  sent  immediately  for  two  of  Leonard's  neighbors,  who 
rose  from  their  beds  and  came  at  once,  in  obedience  to  his 
summons.  The  Bailiff  questioned  them  narrowly  concerning 
the  pursuits  of  the  mason's  family  during  the  last  few  days, 
and  when  nothing  came  to  light  which  could  explain  the 
mystery,  he  flew  into  a  violent  passion.  "  You  dogs !  There 
is  no  getting  anything  out  of  you  !  And  yet  when  you  carry 
off  whole  cartloads  of  wood  from  Arner's  premises,  and 
turn  your  cattle  into  his  pastures  to  graze,  you  expect  me  to 
say  nothing  about  it !  Buller,  more  than  a  third  of  your 
reckoning  was  false,  but  I  was  silent.  And  Kru'el,  half  of 
your  meadow  belongs  by  good  rights  to  your  brother's  chi> 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  9 

dren, — what  if  I  should  have  you  hung,  as  you  richly  de- 
serve ?  " 

This  threat  seemed  to  stimulate  Kruel's  memory,  for  he  at 
once  began:  "Stop  a  minute,  Bailiff,  —  I  think  I  can  help 
you.  It  just  crosses  my  mind  that  Gertrude  was  away  all 
this  morning  ;  and  to-night  her  Lizzie  was  praising  Arner  at 
the  well ;  she  must  have  been  at  the  Castle.  Then  last  night 
there  was  a  loud  sound  of  crying  from  their  house,  and  to- 
day they  are  all  as  merry  as  larks." 

The  Bailiff  dismissed  his  informants,  bidding  them  keep 
silence  in  regard  to  their  discoveries,  and  do  their  best  to 
bring  him  fresh  information  as  soon  as  possible.  In  the 
morning  he  went  again  to  the  mason's  house,  and  after  a 
friendly  greeting,  said:  "Leonard,  we  parted  in  anger  last 
night,  but  that  must  not  be.  I  have  good  news  for  you.  I 
have  just  been  with  our  gracious  master,  who  was  talking 
about  building  the  church.  He  asked  about  you,  and  I  told 
him  I  thought  you  were  equal  to  the  undertaking ;  so  I  think 
he  will  give  it  to  you." 

"  But  he  arranged  with  his  master-mason  about  the  build- 
ing,—  you  said  so  yourself  long  ago." 

"  I  thought  it  was  so,  but  I  was  mistaken ;  the  mason  only 
made  an  estimate  of  expenses,  and  didn't  forget  himself, 
you  may  believe.  If  you  can  get  the  job  on  the  basis  of 
this  calculation,  you  will  hook  in  your  money  by  the  armful. 
Now  you  can  judge  whether  I  am  your  friend  or  not !  " 

The  mason  was  so  happy  that  he  thanked  the  Bailiff  grate- 
fully ;  but  Gertrude  saw  plainly  that  their  treacherous  guest 
already  had  an  eye  to  the  wages  her  husband  would  earn  in 
his  new  employment.  As  he  departed,  the  Bailiff  remarked : 
"  Arner  will  be  here  in  an  hour  "  ;  and  Lizzie,  who  stood  by 
her  father's  side,  spoke  up :  "  Yes,  we  have  known  that  since 
yesterday."  Hummel  started  at  the  words,  but  paid  no  at- 
tention to  them. 


iO  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

In  the  mean  time,  Arner  had  reached  the  churchyard, 
where  a  crowd  of  the  villagers  had  assembled  to  look  on 
their  good  master.  "  Have  you  nothing  to  do,  or  is  it  a  holi- 
day, that  you  all  have  time  to  loaf  about  here  ? "  asked  the 
Bailiff  of  those  who  stood  nearest ;  but  Arner  said  aloud : 
"•  Bailiff,  I  am  very  willing  for  all  my  children  to  remain  and 
hear  my  wishes  with  regard  to  the  building ;  why  do  you 
drive  them  away  ?  "  Hummel  bent  himself  to  the  ground, 
and  called  out  to  the  neighbors:  "Come  back,  his  Grace 
has  no  objection." 

Arner  asked  the  Bailiff  if  he  had  seen  the  estimate  for  the 
building,  and  whether  he  thought  Leonard  could  make  it 
good  and  durable  at  the  given  price.  "Yes,  gracious  Sir," 
replied  Hummel,  adding  in  a  lower  tone :  "  I  think  perhaps 
he  might  even  do  it  a  little  cheaper,  as  he  lives  in  the  vil- 
lage." 

But  Arner  said  aloud :  "  I  will  give  him  just  the  same  I 
should  have  given  the  master-mason.  Send  for  him,  and  see 
that  everything  is  delivered  to  him  from  the  storehouses 
which  the  master-mason  would  have  had." 

The  messenger  soon  returned,  and  the  Bailiff  turned  deadly 
pale  on  remarking  that  he  was  accompanied  by  Gertrude, 
who  had  decided  to  come  herself  in  her  husband's  absence. 
"  What  is  the  matter,  Sir  Bailiff?"  inquired  Arner. 
•  "  Nothing,  gracious  Sir ;  I  didn't  sleep  well  last  night, 
that  is  all." 

"You  look  as  if  you  had  not,"  replied  Arner,  looking  fix- 
edly into  his  inflamed  eyes.  Then  turning  to  Gertrude  with 
a  pleasant  greeting,  he  asked :  "  Is  not  your  husband  here? 
But  no  matter,  you  can  simply  tell  him  to  come  to  me.  I 
am  going  to  intrust  the  building  of  the  church  to  him." 

Gertrude  stood  silent,  too  much  abashed  to  utter  a  word 
In  the  presence  of  so  many  people.  "  Why  do  you  not 
speak,  Gertrufle?"  said  Arner.  "You  must  be  delighted 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  11 

to  learn  that  your  husband  is  to  have  the  building  on  the 
same  terms  agreed  upon  for  the  master-mason." 

Gertrude  rallied  sufficiently  to  stammer :  ' '  Gracious  Sir, 
the  church  is  so  near  the  tavern  !  " 

Everybody  began  to  laugh,  and  the  Bailiff  cried  angrily  to 
Gertrude  :  "  What  have  you  against  my  tavern?  " 

Arner  interrupted  him  with :  "  Pray,  is  this  your  affair, 
Bailiff?"  and  turning  to  the  mason's  wife,  demanded  an 
explanation  of  her  words. 

"  Gracious  Sir,  my  husband  is  easily  enticed  into  drinking, 
and  if  he  has  to  work  so  near  the  tavern  every  day,  I  am 
afraid  he  will  not  be  able  to  resist  the  temptation.  One  gets 
thirsty  working,  Sir,  and  if  all  the  time  there  are  people 
before  his  eyes  drinking  and  betting,  and  teasing  him  to  join 
them,  how  can  he  help  listening  ?  And  if  he  is  once  in  debt 
again,  it  is  all  over  with  him.  O  Sir,  if  you  only  knew  how 
a  single  evening  in  such  a  house  can  bring  a  man  into  slav- 
ery from  which  it  is  hardly  possible  to  escape  !  " 

"  I  do  know  it,  Gertrude,  and  I  mean  to  show  the  whole 
world  that  I  am  not  going  to  let  the  poor  people  be  oppressed 
and  abused."  Then  turning  to  the  Bailiff  with  a  penetrating 
look,  he  demanded:  "Is  it  true  that  the  poor  people  are 
enticed  into  your  house,  and  then  cheated  and  oppressed?" 

Pale  as  death  Hummel  stammered  :  "  No,  indeed,  gracious 
Sir !  That's  the  reward  a  man  gets  for  serving  beggars  ! " 

"  But  the  question  is,  whether  this  woman  speaks  falsely." 

"Indeed  she  does, gracious  Sir !  I  will  prove  it  in  a  thou- 
sand ways." 

"  One  is  quite  sufficient,  Bailiff.  But  take  care  !  Yester- 
day you  said  Gertrude  was  an  industrious  woman,  and  no 
busybody." 

The  Bailiff  was  so  confused  at  this  that  he  could  bring 
forth  no  intelligible  answer,  and  Arner  turned  for  confirma- 
tion to  two  old  men  who  stood  near.  "  Is  it  tide,  my  good 


12  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

neighbors,  that  people  are  oppressed  and  ruined  in  your  tav- 
ern?" 

The  men  looked  at  each  other,  but  did  not  speak.  "  Do 
not  be  afraid,  —  tell  me  the  simple  truth." 

"It  is  but  too  true,  gracious  Sir;  but  how  can  we  com- 
plain against  the  Bailiff?"  replied  the  older  of  the  two,  so 
low  that  only  Arner  could  distinguish  the  words. 

"It  is  enough,"  said  the  nobleman,  turning  again  to 
Hummel.  "It  was  not  my  intention  to  investigate  this  com- 
plaint to-day,  but  I  am  determined  to  protect  my  people 
from  every  sort  of  oppression,  and  I  have  long  thought  that 
no  bailiff  ought  to  keep  a  tavern.  But  we  will  postpone  that 
matter  until  Monday.  — Gertrude,  tell  your  husband  to  come 
to  me,  and  be  quite  easy  as  regards  the  tavern." 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  13 


CHAPTER  in. 

HOW  PEASANTS  TALK,  AND  ROGUES  PLAN. 

THI.  Bailiff  did  not  go  home  until  evening,  and  when  he 
approached  his  house,  usually  brilliantly  lighted,  and  noisy 
with  the  sounds  of  revelry,  he  was  terrified  to  observe  that 
all  was  dark  and  still.  He  rushed  in,  and  found  no  one  but 
his  wife,  who  was  sobbing  in  a  corner.  "O  husband,  is 
that  you?"  she  cried.  "What  a  misfortune  has  befallen  us  ! 
All  our  enemies  are  exulting,  and  not  a  man  in  the  village 
dares  to  drink  a  glass  of  wine  at  our  house." 

Hummel  was  almost  beside  himself  with  rage,  and  spent 
a  large  part  of  the  night  in  plotting  vengeance  against  the 
author  of  his  misfortunes.  The  next  morning,  however, 
he  resolved  to  put  a  good  face  on  the  matter,  and  began 
whistling  merrily  under  his  open  window.  His  neighbor 
Fritz  called  out  to  him:  "Have  you  customers  so  early, 
that  you  are  in  such  good  spirits  ?  " 

"  Oh,  they'll  be  coming  before  long.  Will  you  drink  my 
health,  Fritz?"  —  holding  a  glass  of  brandy  out  of  the 
window. 

"  It  is  too  early :  I'll  wait  till  there  is  more  company." 

"  You  always  were  full  of  your  fjun.  But  you  needn't 
think  that  business  of  yesterday  is  going  to  turn  out  so 
badly.  No  bird  flies  so  high  that  it  doesn't  come  down 
again !  " 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  remarked  Fritz.  "  The  bird 
1  have  in  mind  has  had  a  long  enough  flight.  But  we  may 
not  be  speaking  of  the  same  bird.  Hallo !  They  are  call- 


14  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

ing  me  to  breakfast,"  —  and  he  closed  the   window  as  ha 
spoke,  leaving  the  Bailiff  to  no  very  agreeable  reflections. 

Soon  after,  Hummel  started  for  the  barber's,  with  a  defi- 
nite end  in  view.  On  his  way  he  met  Nickel  Spitz,  who  thus 
accosted  him:  "Where  are  you  going  in  your  Sunday 
clothes,  Sir  Bailiff?" 

"  To  the  barber's." 

"  It's  queer  you  are  at  leisure  on  Saturday  morning." 

**  To  be  sure,  it  is  not  so  all  the  year  round  ;  but  come 
with  me,  —  there  will  perhaps  be  some  drinking,  or  fun  of 
some  sort." 

"  I  imagine  you  would  have  a  reckoning  with  the  barber, 
if  he  had  any  wine  drunk  in  his  house !  "  exclaimed  Nickel, 

"  I  am  not  so  selfish  as  all  that.  Indeed,  they  talk  of 
taking  away  my  license  altogether ;  but,  Nickel,  it  will  be 
some  time  yet  before  that  comes  to  pass." 

"  You  are  about  right  there.  But  it  isn't  the  best  luck  in 
the  world  for  you  that  our  young  master  has  a  different 
creed  from  his  grandfather.  I  suspect  they  differed  about 
every  article  of  the  twelve." 

"  Very  possibly,"  observed  Hummel.  "  Yet  the  old 
man's  belief  was  more  to  my  mind." 

"  So  I  should   suppose.     The  first  article  of  his  creed 
was  :  '  I  believe  in  you,  my  Bailiff.'  " 
•     "  Very  good !  —  and  what  was  the  second  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  know?  Possibly  something  like  this :  '  1 
don't  believe  a  word  from  any  man  living  except  you,  my 
Bailiff.' " 

"  Really,  Nickel,  you  ought  to  have  been  a  parson !  You 
might  have  set  up  a  new  Catechism." 

"  They  would  hardly  have  let  me  do  that.  I  should  have 
made  it  so  plain  that  the  children  could  all  have  understood 
it  without  any  parson,  so  that  there  would  have  been  no  need 
of  one  at  all." 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  15 

"  It  is  better  to  stick  to  the  old,  Nickel,  in  the  Catechism 
as  in  everything  else  ;  we  don't  better  ourselves  by  changing. 
But  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  am  not  so  much  afraid  of 
this  new  master." 

44  Yet  your  good  luck  was  buried  last  summer  with  his 
grandfather." 

44  Well,  Nickel,  at  all  events  I  have  had  my  share  of  good 
luck." 

44  That  you  have,  Sir,  —  but  you  couldn't  well  have  helped 
it.  The  clerk,  the  beadle,  and  the  vicar  all  owed  you 
money." 

44  Fool !     You  don't  know  as  much  as  you  think." 

44 1  know  much  more  than  that !  I  know  what  tricks  you 
played  on  Rudy's  father,  and  how  I  caught  you  lying  on 
your  face  in  the  straw  by  the  dog-kennel,  in  front  of  Rudy's 
window,  while  his  attorney  was  with  him.  You  staid  there 
listening  to  what  they  said  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  then  it  was  easy  enough  for  you,  with  the  clerk,  to  dis- 
tort your  own  evidence." 

4'  There  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  what  you  say  !  " 

4 'There  isn't?  I  tell  you  if  the  clerk  had  not  changed 
your  evidence  before  the  court,  Rudy  would  still  be  in  pos- 
session of  his  meadow,  and  Wiist  and  Kaibacher  would  not 
have  had  to  perjure  themselves." 

"The  best  part  of  it  is  that  I  won  the  lawsuit,"  re- 
marked the  Bailiff.  "I  shouldn't  have  liked  to  have  you 
know  I  had  lost  jt." 

44  Oh,  yes,  I  know  well  enough  you  won  it,  and  also  in  what 
way  !  "  said  Nickel,  taking  his  departure  abruptly. 

As  the  Bailiff  entered  the  barber's  house,  where  a  number 
of  the  neighbors  were  already  assembled,  contrary  to  his 
wont  he  greeted  them  all  politely  before  seating  himself ;  but 
the  peasants  were  far  less  deferential  than  usual,  and  plainly 
showed  their  distrust  of  their  magistrate.  Seeing  this,  he 


16  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

sent  a  boy  to  bring  wine  from  his  own  house,  and  placed  his 
well-filled  tobacco-pouch  on  the  table.  A  cloud  of  smoke 
soon  arose,  and  amid  the  clinking  of  glasses  which  followed, 
all  prejudices  against  Hummel  were  forgotten.  The  latter 
had  previously  arranged  with  his  wife  that  the  wine  should 
be  adulterated  with  brimstone,  and  also  that  a  jug  of  colored 
water  should  be  prepared  for  his  own  use.  When  the  heads 
of  the  peasants  were  heated,  the  Bailiff  adroitly  turned  the 
conversation  to  the  rights  of  the  people,  insinuating  that  if 
Arner  should  get  the  tavern  license  into  his  own  hands,  the 
price  of  wine  would  soon  rise. 

Just  as  the  excitement  had  reached  its  height,  one  of  the 
half-intoxicated  fellows  upset  the  jug  at  Hummel's  elbow, 
and  the  barber's  dog,  coming  up,  lapped  the  colored  water 
from  the  floor.  This  aroused  the  wonder  of  the  peasants, 
and  led  to  a  discovery  of  the  imposture,  whereupon  so  great 
a  tumult  arose  that  the  barber  requested  the  rioters  to  with- 
draw. The  enraged  Bailiff  invited  the  company  to  his  own 
house,  but  was  followed  only  by  two  or  three  good-for-noth- 
ing loafers.  One  of  these  he  at  once  despatched  in  pursuit 
of  the  mason's  apprentice  Joseph,  who  soon  made  his  appear- 
ance. 

"  Good-day,  Joseph  !  "  said  the  Bailiff ;  "  does  your  mas- 
ter know  you  are  here  ?  " 

"  He  is  at  the  Castle,  and  will  not  be  back  till  noon ;  so 
If  I  am  at  work  again  by  one  o'clock,  he  will  be  none  the 
wiser." 

"  Very  well,"  —  and  leading  him  into  the  adjoining  apart- 
ment, the  Bailiff  bolted  the  door  behind  them.  On  the  table 
were  pork,  sausages,  bread,  and  wine.  "  Come,  Joseph," 
said  his  host;  "drink  a  glass,  and  try  these  sausages.  Do 
help  yourself !  You  have  a  hard  enough  tune  at  your  mas- 
ter's." 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  but  now  he  has  work,  things  will 
go  better. " 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  17 

"You  are  a  fool,  Joseph  !  How  long  do  you  suppose  that 
will  last?  He  is  not  a  competent  man  for  the  job,  since  he 
has  never  had  the  charge  of  a  large  building  before.  He 
will  depend  on  you  entirely,  and  for  that  reason  I  want  to 
ask  a  favor  of  you." 

"  I  am  at  your  service,  Sir  Bailiff.     I  drink  to  you !  " 

The  Bailiff  helped  him  again  to  sausages,  and  continued : 
"  I  should  be  glad  if  the  foundation  of  the  church  could  be 
of  stone  from  the  Schwendi  quarry." 

"Impossible,  Sir  Bailiff!  You  don't  know  what  you  are 
talking  about.  This  stone  is  good  for  nothing  as  a  founda- 
tion." 

"  Oh,  I  hardly  think  it  is  so  bad  ;  I  have  seen  it  used  for 
many  purposes.  Joseph,  I  should  regard  it  as  a  personal 
favor  if  this  quarry  could  be  used." 

"  But  the  walls  will  rot  away  in  six  years'  time  if  they  are 
made  of  this  stone." 

"That  is  all  nonsense!  And  after  all,  what  concern  is 
it  of  yours  whether  the  walls  are  sound  ten  years  from  now  ? 
Just  do  as  I  say,  and  you  shall  have  reason  to  be  glad  of 
it." 

"  But  suppose  Arner  should  notice  that  the  stone  is  good 
for  nothing?  He  knows  more  about  some  things  than  you 
would  think." 

"Pooh!  He  knows  nothing  of  that.  Just  give  me  your 
hand  on  it,  and  if  your  master  takes  the  stone  from  that 
quarry,  you  shall  have  five  thalers  for  yourself." 

The  bargain  was  concluded,  when  the  Bailiff  added  :  "  One 
thing  more,  Joseph.  I  have  a  little  bag  of  stuff  from  the 
apothecary,  which  is  said  to  make  mortar  stick  to  a  wall  like 
iron,  if  it  is  mixed  with  the  lime.  But  I  should  like  to  try  it 
on  some  other  building  before  I  use  it  on  any  of  my  own." 

"  All  right !  I'll  try  it  for  you  on  the  corner  of  a  neigh- 
bor's  house." 


18  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"No,  Joseph ;  that  would  be  no  test  at  all.  I  would  like 
to  have  it  tried  on  the  church-tower.  Isn't  that  possible  ?  " 

"Is  it  necessary  to  put  much  into  the  lime?"  asked  the 
apprentice. 

"  A  couple  of  pounds  to  a  barrel,  I  suppose." 

"  That  is  easy  enough." 

"Then  you  will  do  it?" 

"  To  be  sure." 

"  And  hold  your  tongue  if  it  fails?  " 

"  Of  course  I  shall  hold  my  tongue  ;  and  it  can't  fail." 

"  Well,  come  and  get  the  stuff  from  me  when  you  need  it, 
and  a  glass  of  wine  into  the  bargain." 

"All  right,  Sir  Bailiff.  To  your  health,  and  my  best 
thanks  !  '*  tried  Joseph,  quaffing  a  parting  glass. 


LEONARD   AND  GERTRUDE.  19 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOME  JOYS. 

MEANWHILE,  Gertrude  had  been  hurrying  to  finish  her 
Saturday's  work  before  Leonard  came  back  from  the  Castle. 
While  combing  and  braiding  the  children's  hair,  mending 
their  clothes,  and  putting  the  room  to  rights,  she  had  taught 
the  little  ones  a  song,  with  which  to  greet  their  father  on  his 
return.  As  the  mason  entered,  wife  and  children  sang  in 

chorus :  — 

"  Gentle  peace,  who  art  from  heaven, 
Soothing  every  pain  and  care, 
Healing  with  the  sweetest  balsam 
Those  who  most  are  in  despair, 
I  am  weary  of  this  striving, 
I  am  longing  for  a  rest, — 
Higher  thou  than  pain  or  pleasure, 
Come  and  dwell  within  my  breast ! " 

"  God  bless  you !  "  cried  Leonard,  with  tears  in  his  eyes. 

"My  dear  husband,"  said  Gertrude,  "earth  becomes 
heaven  when  we  seek  for  peace,  do  right,  and  wish  for 
little." 

"  If  I  ever  enjoy  this  heaven  on  earth,  I  owe  it  to  you  ! 
I  shall  thank  you  all  my  life  for  saving  me,  and  so  will  our 
little  ones.  —  Children,  do  right,  and  follow  in  your  mother's 
footsteps  ;  then  you  will  prosper." 

"  You  seem  in  good  spirits  to-day,"  remarked  Gertrude 
presently. 

"  I  have  had  a  successful  interview  with  Arner.  To  think 
how  childishly  I  behaved  about  going  to  him !  " 


20  LEONAKD  AND  GEETRTJDB. 

"It  is  always  easy  enough  to  be  wise  after  the  event. 
But  now  tell  me  the  whole  story,"  she  besought,  taking  up 
her  knitting. 

"  But,  my  dear  wife,  it  is  Saturday,  and  you  wouldn't  have 
tune  to  hear  it  all." 

"  Just  look  about  you,"  said  Gertrude,  with  a  smile. 

"She  has  hurried,  father,"  spoke  up  Lizzie.  "Annie 
and  I  helped  her  clear  up." 

"  Now  do  begin  ! "  begged  Gertrude. 

"  "Well,  Arner  even  asked  me  my  father's  name,  and  what 
street  I  live  in,  and  the  number  of  my  house." 

"  I  know  better,  Leonard  !  That  certainly  was  not  the 
way  he  began." 

"  Why  not,  you  little  wise  head?" 

"You  first  greeted  him,  and  he  thanked  you.  Tell  me 
about  that !  " 

"  You  witch !  you  are  quite  right;  I  didn't  begin  at  the 
beginning.  Well,  he  asked  me  first  of  all  whether  I  was  still 
afraid  of  him.  I  made  my  best  bow,  and  said:,  'Forgive 
me,  gracious  Sir  ! '  Then  he  laughed,  and  had  a  jug  of  wine 
set  before  me." 

"That  is  quite  a  different  beginning  !  I'll  warrant  it  did 
not  take  you  long  to  dispose  of  the  wine." 

"  You  are  wrong,  wife.  I  was  bashful  as  a  young  bride, 
and  would  not  touch  it.  But  he  bade  me  pour  it  out,  and  I 
drank  his  health,  although  he  looked  at  me  so  steadily  that 
the  glass  shook  in  my  hand." 

"Your  conscience  pricked  you  at  the  tips  of  your  fingers, 
Leonard !  But  you  recovered,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"Yes,  very  soon.  He  was  very  kind,  and  said:  'It  is 
quite  natural  for  a  hard-working  man  to  like  a  glass  of  wine, 
and  there  is  no  objection  to  his  having  it ;  but  it  is  a  mis- 
fortune when  a  man  makes  a  fool  of  himself  over  his  wine, 
and  forgets  his  family  and  the  future.'  Wife,  those  words 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  21 

seemed  to  stab  me  to  the  heart.  He  went  on  to  say  how 
unfortunate  it  was  that  poor  people,  when  they  are  in 
trouble,  usually  get  into  the  hands  of  the  very  persons  they 
ought  to  avoid  like  the  plague,  and  then  have  neither  the 
sense  nor  the  courage  to  tell  their  situation  to  those  who 
would  be  glad  to  help  them.  '  Mason,'  he  said,  '  just  think 
what  would  have  been  the  upshot  of  your  difficulties,  if  your 
wife  had  had  no  more  courage  and  common  sense  than 
you ! ' " 

"And  he  said  all  this,"  observed  Gertrude,  "before  ask- 
ing the  number  of  the  house  ?  You  didn't  mean  to  tell  me 
of  it,  you  scamp  ! " 

"  I  think  it  might  have  been  wiser  if  I  had  not,  for  you 
will  be  growing  much  too  vain  on  account  of  your  courage." 

"Do  you  think  so,  my  good  sir?  Well,  I  do  believe  I 
shall  pride  myself  all  my  life  on  this  deed  of  mine.  But 
what  did  Arner  say  next  ?  " 

"Oh,  he  examined  me  in  regard  to  the  building.  I  had  to 
reckon  up  every  single  item  of  the  expense,  even  to  the 
bringing  of  lime  and  sand  and  stone." 

"  I  hope  you  made  no  mistakes." 

"  No,  not  this  time,  my  love.  And  guess  how  much  he 
has  given  me  in  advance" — jingling  the  coins  in  his  pocket. 
"  It  is  a  long  time  since  we  have  heard  the  sound  of  so  much 
silver."  Gertrude  sighed.  "Don't  sigh,  my  love!  We 
will  be  prudent  and  saving,  and  shall  surely  never  be  in  such 
distress  again." 

"  Yes,  God  in  heaven  has  helped  us,"  she  murmured. 

"And  many  more  in  the  village  beside.  Only  think,  he 
has  chosen  ten  fathers  of  families  as  laborers  on  the  build- 
ing, and  will  give  them  each  twenty-five  kreutzers  a  day. 
He  asked  how  many  children  they  each  had,  and  what  was 
their  trade,  and  then  picked  out  those  who  were  worst  off, 
and  had  the  most  young  children.  He  asked  me  if  I  knew 


22  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

anybody  who  was  in  trouble,  as  I  had  been,  and  I  mentioned 
Hubel-Rudy  ;  so  he  is  sure  of  work  for  a  year." 

"That  was  very  right  of  you,  not  to  let  Rudy  suffer  for 
taking  your  potatoes." 

"I  couldn't  bear  a  grudge  against  a  poor  man,  wife, — 
and  they  are  in  a  wretched  condition.  I  found  Rudy  a  few 
days  ago  near  the  potato-bin,  and  I  pretended  not  to  see 
him.  He  was  the  picture  of  want,  and  we  have  always  had 
something  to  eat." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  my  dear  husband.  But  stealing 
doesn't  help  people  out  of  their  misery,  and  those  who  do  it 
only  become  doubly  wretched." 

"  True  ;  but  when  a  man  is  suffering  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
and  sees  food  before  him ;  when  he  knows  how  much  of  it 
must  rot  in  the  bins,  and  that  even  the  cattle  have  enough 
to  eat,  —  O  Gertrude  !  what  strength  of  mind  it  takes  to  let 
it  lie  and  not  touch  it ! " 

"  It  is  hard  indeed ;  yet  the  poor  man  must  be  able  to  do 
it,  or  he  cannot  help  being  miserable.  But,  Leonard,  have 
you  looked  to  see  whether  the  men  are  at  work  ?  I  didn't 
tell  you  that  Joseph  stole  away  to  the  tavern  again  to-day." 

"How  vexatious!  The  Bailiff  must  have  sent  for  him. 
I  stopped  to  speak  to  the  men  on  my  way  home,  and  if  lie 
was  fresh  from  the  tavern,  what  he  said  makes  me  uneasy." 

"What  was  it?" 

**  He  said  the  stone  from  the  Schwendi  quarry  would  be 
excellent  for  the  church-wall ;  and  when  I  told  him  that  the 
great  flint  stones  which  lie  about  in  great  quantity  were 
much  better,  he  said  I  must  always  be  a  fool,  and  never 
know  my  own  advantage.  But  this  Schwendi  stone  is  soft 
and  sandy,  and  not  at  all  fit  for  this  work.  If  he  has  been 
with  the  Bailiff,  there  is  something  behind  it  all.  Suppose  it 
should  be  a  trap  !  " 

"  Beware  of  Joseph,  he  is  not  reliable,"  warned  Gertrude. 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  23 

"  They  won't  catch  me  so  easily !  Arner  doesn't  want 
any  sandstone  in  the  foundation:  he  said  it  would  decay 
and  be  corroded  by  saltpetre,  because  there  are  dung-heaps 
and  stable  drainage  down  by  the  wall.  It  is  wonderful  how 
perfectly  he  understands  everything !  "While  we  were  talk- 
ing, Lord  Oberhofen  was  announced,  and  I  thought  I  ought 
to  say  I  would  not  detain  him,  but  would  come  another  day. 
Arner  laughed,  and  said :  '  No,  mason,  I  like  to  finish  what 
I  am  about,  and  wait  till  I  have  done  with  one  person  before 
attending  to  another.  This  is  part  of  your  old  shiftless 
ways,  to  leave  your  work  on  the  slightest  provocation.'  I 
scratched  my  ear  rather  foolishly,  wife,  and  wished  I  had 
held  my  tongue." 

"  He  wasn't  so  far  out  of  the  way,"  said  Gertrude  with  a 
laugh. 


24  USONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   DEATH-BED    OF   A   GOOD  WOMAN. 

As  soon  as  Leonard  had  left  the  Castle,  Arner  despatched 
a  messenger  to  the  Bailiff  with  the  list  of  laborers,  and 
orders  to  notify  them  of  their  employment.  All  previous 
letters  from  Arnheim  had  been  directed :  "To  the  honorable 
and  discreet,  my  dear  and  faithful  Bailiff  Hummel  in 
Bonnal ; "  but  the  present  communication  bore  the  simple 
address:  "To  the  Bailiff  Hummel  in  Bonnal."  "What 
does  that  confounded  secretary  mean  by  not  giving  me  my 
proper  title  ?  "  growled  the  magistrate. 

"  Take  care,  Bailiff !  "  cried  Flink,  the  messenger.  ' '  It  was 
our  lord  and  master  himself  who  directed  the  letter." 

"  Impossible  !  I  know  the  writing  of  that  powdered  beg- 
gar of  a  secretary." 

"  That  is  going  rather  too  far,  Mr.  Bailiff ;  for  I  stood  by 
when  Arner  wrote  the  address,  and  saw  him  do  it  with  my 
own  eyes." 

"Then  I  have  made  an  infernal  blunder,  Flink!  Forget 
all  about  it,  and  come  in  and  drink  a  glass  of  wine  with  me." 

After  the  mollified  messenger  had  taken  his  departure,  the 
Bailiff  ran  his  eye  over  the  list,  and  muttered:  "They  are 
all  loafers  and  beggars,  from  beginning  to  end,  —  not  a  sin- 
gle one  of  them  my  men,  except  Michael.  And  I  am  to 
notify  them  all  to-day !  All  right !  I  will  advise  them  at 
the  same  time  to  go  to  the  Castle  on  Monday,  and  thank 
their  benefactor.  Arner  doesn't  know  one  of  the  fellows, 
and  when  they  come  before  him,  all  in  tatters,  one  without 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  25 

shoes,  and  another  minus  a  hat,  I  am  mistaken  if  I  haven't 
the  best  of  the  joke  on  my  side." 

He  planned  the  order  of  his  visits,  and  resolved  to  go  first 
to  Hubel-Rudy,  so  as  to  have  it  over ;  for  he  had  dreaded  to 
approach  the  house  ever  since  the  lawsuit  by  which  he  had 
defrauded  Rudy's  father  of  the  meadow.  Rudy  was  sitting 
with  his  children.  It  was  but  three  months  since  his  wife's 
death,  and  now  his  mother  lay  dying  on  a  bed  of  straw. 
"  Do  get  me  some  leaves  for  my  coverlet  this  afternoon,  — 
J  am  cold  !  "  she  said  to  her  son. 

"  Yes,  mother ;  as  soon  as  the  fire  is  out,  I  will  go." 

"Have  j'ou  any  more  wood,  Rudy?  I  fear  not,  for  you 
cannot  leave  me  and  the  children  to  go  after  any.  O  Rudy, 
I  have  lived  to  be  a  burden  to  you ! " 

"  No,  mother,  do  not  say  that!  You  are  never  a  burden 
to  me.  If  I  could  only  give  you  what  you  need  !  You  are 
hungry  and  thirsty  and  sick,  and  I,  wretched  man,  can  do 
nothing  for  you." 

"  Do  not  grieve,  Rudy.  God  will  soon  relieve  my  suffer- 
ing, and  as  we  draw  near  our  end,  we  want  little  more  on 
earth." 

"  But,  mother,"  he  cried  weeping,  "  don't  you  think  you 
will  get  well  again  ?  " 

"  No,  Rudy,  I  am  certain  I  shall  not.  But  be  comforted, 
my  son  !  You  have  been  the  joy  of  my  youth  and  the  com- 
fort of  my  old  age.  I  will  pray  to  God  for  you,  and  all 
your  sufferings  will  end  in  good." 

"  My  dear,  dear  mother !  "  was  all  that  he  could  say. 

"  Rudy,"  she  began  presently,  "  I  have  just  one  thing  on 
my  mind  before  I  die.  Yesterday  I  saw  our  little  Rudy  hide 
behind  my  bed  and  eat  roasted  potatoes  out  of  his  pocket. 
He  gave  some  to  the  other  children,  and  they  all  eat  them  on 
the  sly.  Rudy,  those  potatoes  cannot  be  our  own,  else  he 
would  have  brought  me  some,  as  he  used  to  do.  Ho\f 


26  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

pleased  I  always  was  when  he  came  running  to  me  with 
something  in  his  hand,  and  cried  in  his  affectionate  way : 
4  You  eat  some,  grandma ! '  0  Rudy,  to  think  of  this  dar- 
ling child  becoming  a  thief!  Bring  him  to  me." 

As  the  boy  approached  her  bed,  she  raised  herself  with 
an  effort,  and  took  both  his  hands  in  hers.  The  child 
sobbed  aloud.  "  What  do  you  want,  grandma?  Don't  die, 
grandma ! " 

"Yes,  my  little  Rudy,  I  must  soon  die,"  she  answered 
brokenly.  The  exertion  had  been  too  great,  and  she  sank 
back  upon  the  bed  exhausted. 

"I  will  die  with  you,  grandma!"  cried  the  little  fellow, 
weeping. 

"No,  my  Rudy;  God  grant  you  may  live  many  years, 
and  grow  up  to  be  a  help  and  comfort  to  your  father  when 
he  is  old  and  weak.  Promise  me,  my  dear  boy,  that  you 
will  follow  his  example,  and  grow  up  a  good  man." 

"Yes,  grandma,  I  promise." 

"  And  Rudy  dear,  the  Father  to  whom  I  am  now  going 
sees  everything  we  do,  and  hears  all  the  promises  we  make. 
Do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  grandma." 

"  Then  why  did  you  eat  stolen  potatoes  yesterday  behind 
my  bed?" 

"O  grandma,  do  forgive  me!  I  will  never,  never  do  so 
any  more ! " 

"  From  whom  did  you  steal  them?" 

"  From  the  mason,"  sobbed  the  child. 

"  You  must  go  to  him,  and  ask  his  forgiveness ;  and  in 
future,  even  if  you  are  hungry,  trust  the  dear  God,  $nd  do 
not  steal." 

"No,  grandma,  I  will  never,  never  steal  again,  even  if  I 
am  hungry." 

"  Then  may  God  bless  and  keep  you,  my  dear  boy ! "  she 


LEONABD   AND  GERTRUDE.  27 

cried,  pressing  him  to  her  heart.  "  But  now  you  must  go  to 
the  mason.  —  Go  with  him,  my  son,  and  tell  them  I  too 
implore  then:  forgiveness,  and  only  wish  I  could  give  back 
the  potatoes.  Say  to  them  I  will  pray  for  a  blessing  on 
what  they  have  left.  It  grieves  me  to  the  heart,  they  have 
so  much  need  of  all  they  have,  and  would  not  be  able  to 
make  both  ends  meet,  with  their  large  family,  if  Gertrude 
did  not  work  night  and  day.  Rudy,  I  know  you  will  work 
for  him  a  couple  of  days,  to  make  it  up." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  my  dear  mother." 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  tap  on  the  window  outside, 
and  the  sick  woman  recognized  the  Bailiffs  cough.  "  Mer- 
ciful heavens!"  she  exclaimed,  "it  is  the  Bailiff!  I  am 
afraid  the  bread  and  butter  from  which  you  are  preparing 
my  broth  are  not  paid  for." 

"Do  not  worry,  mother!  I  will  work  for  him,  and  reap 
for  him  at  harvest-time,"  —  and  Rudy  ran  out  of  the  room. 

The  old  woman  sighed,  and  murmured:  "Since  the  law- 
suit (God  forgive  him !)  the  sight  of  him  always  stabs  me  to 
the  heart.  And  to  think  that  he  must  imbitter  my  last  hour 
by  standing  under  my  window!  It  is  God's  will  that  I 
should  forgive  him  wholly,  and  pray  for  the  welfare  of  his 
soul,  and  I  will  do  it."  She  heard  the  Bailiff  talking  in  loud 
tones  outside.  "  Good  heavens,  he  is  angry  !  "  she  cried  ; 
and  as  his  voice  again  reached  her  ears,  she  fainted  away. 
Little  Rudy  ran  to  the  door,  and  called:  "Come,  father, 
come !  I  think  grandma  is  dead !  " 

"  Merciful  God ! "  exclaimed  Rudy.  "  Bailiff,  I  must  go 
in." 

"There  is  great  need  of  that !"  muttered  Hummel;  "it 
would  be  a  terrible  loss,  indeed,  if  the  old  witch  should  be 
dead  at  last !  " 

But  Rudy  did  not  hear  his  words,  for  he  had  rushed  into 
the  house.  The  dying  woman  soon  regained  consciousness, 


28  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

and  inquired  as  she  opened  her  eyes :  "  Was  he  angry, 
Rudy  ?  I  am  sure  he  would  not  wait,  and  has  threatened  you 
with  the  law." 

"  No,  mother,  it  is  good  news  ;  he  gave  me  notice  that  I 
am  to  be  one  of  the  day-laborers  at  the  building  of  the 
church,  and  we  are  each  to  have  twenty-five  kreutzers  a  day." 

' '  Can  that  be  really  true  ?  Then  I  shall  die  happier. 
Great  God,  thou  art  merciful !  "  Here  her  breath  began  to 
fail,  and  she  took  leave  of  her  sorrowing  son  with  courage 
and  cheerfulness,  invoking  a  blessing  upon  his  head,  and 
giving  him  a  message  of  forgiveness  for  the  Bailiff.  Then 
she  summoned  the  weeping  children  to  her  bedside,  and 
spoke  words  of  solace  and  counsel,  leaving  them  her  two 
Bibles  and  prayer-books  as  a  remembrance. 

After  the  sick  woman  had  ceased  speaking,  the  children  and 
their  father  remained  for  some  time  on  their  knees,  praying, 
until  Rudy  finally  arose  and  said  :  ' '  Mother,  I  will  go  now 
and  get  the  leaves  for  your  coverlet." 

"There  is  no  hurry  about  that,"  she  answered  ;  "the  room 
is  warmer  now,  and  you  must  go  with  the  child  to  the 
mason's." 

Gertrude  was  alone  in  the  house  when  they  came,  and  saw 
that  both  the  boy  and  his  father  had  tears  in  their  ejres. 
"What  is  the  matter,  neighbor  Rudy?  Why  are  you  both 
weeping?"  —  and  she  took  the  child  kindly  by  the  hand. 

"Alas,  Gertrude,  I  am  in  trouble,"  answered  Hubel-Rudy. 
"In  his  hunger,  our  little  Rudy  has  taken  potatoes  from 
your  bin  several  times.  Forgive  us,  Gertrude  !  His  grand- 
mother found  it  out  yesterday,  and  he  has  confessed.  She 
lies  on  her  death-bed,  and  has  just  taken  leave  of  us ;  she 
adds  her  prayer  for  forgiveness  to  ours." 

"Say  no  more,  Rudy. — And  you,  my  dear  little  fellow, 
come  here  and  promise  me  never  to  take  anything  from  any- 
body again.  Come  to  me,  if  you  are  hungry,  and  if  I  can, 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  29 

I  will  give  you  something."  She  bent  down  and  kissed  him, 
adding :  "  You  have  a  dear,  good  grandmother ;  try  to  grow 
up  as  pious  and  upright  as  she." 

"Please  forgive  me!"  implored  the  boy;  "I  will  never 
steal  again." 

"  Thank  God,  I  now  have  work  at  the  church,"  said  his 
father,  "  and  I  hope  he  will  not  be  tempted  by  hunger  to  do 
such  a  thing  again." 

Gertrude  only  said :  "  My  husband  and  I  were  very  glad 
that  Arner  chose  you  for  one  of  the  workmen." 

"And  I  am  so  glad,"  cried  Rudy,  "that  my  mother  lived 
to  know  this  consolation !  Tell  your  husband  I  will  work 
for  him  early  and  late,  and  would  like  to  have  the  price  of 
the  potatoes  deducted  from  my  wages." 

"  Nonsense,  Rudy !  My  husband  will  do  no  such  thing. 
Heaven  be  praised,  we  are  also  better  off  on  account  of  the 
building."  She  filled  the  child's  pocket  with  dried  fruit, 
and  after  helping  his  father  gather  leaves  for  the  coverlet, 
accompanied  him  to  his  mother's  bedside.  Her  eyes  filled 
with  tears  as  she  took  the  dying  woman's  hand  in  hers. 

"You  are  weeping,  Gertrude?"  said  Rudy's  mother. 
4 '  It  is  we  who  should  weep.  Have  you  forgiven  us?  " 

"  Speak  no  more  of  that,  Catharine  !  I  only  wish  I  could 
do  something  for  you  in  your  sickness." 

"You  are  very  good,  Gertrude;  but  God  will  soon  help 
me.  — My  little  Rudy,  has  she  forgiven  you? " 

"Yes,  grandma;  just  see  how  good  she  is!"  —display- 
ing the  contents  of  his  pocket. 

"  I  am  drowsy,"  murmured  the  sick  woman,  "  and  my 
eyes  are  growing  dim.  Gertrude,  I  wanted  to  ask  something 
of  you,  but  I  hardly  dare.  This  unhappy  child  has  stolen 
from  you  ;  may  I  ask,  Gertrude  —  when  —  I  am  dead  — 
these  poor,  motherless  children  —  may  I  hope  —  that  you  "  — 
Her  eyes  were  already  closed,  and  in  a  few  moments  she 
breathed  her  last. 


80  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

Gertrude  tried  to  comfort  poor  Rudy,  and  repeated  the 
last  words  of  his  mother,  which  he  had  not  caught.  He 
grasped  her  hand.  "  O  Gertrude,  how  good  my  mother 
was  !  Tell  me,  you  will  remember  her  last  wish?" 

"I  should  have  a  heart  of  stone  if  I  could  forget  it.  I 
will  do  what  I  can  for  your  children."  Then  she  kissed  little 
Rudy  and  the  others,  prepared  the  corpse  for  burial,  and  did 
not  go  home  until  everything  was  done  which  was  necessary. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  31 


CHAPTER  VI. 

REPENTANCE,    HYPOCRISY,    ROGUERY,    AND    FALSE    PRIDE. 

THE  Bailiff  continued  his  round  of  visits,  meeting  with 
Various  receptions  from  the  different  peasants  to  whose  doors 
his  errand  carried  him.  In  every  instance  he  encountered 
astonishment,  amounting  often  to  incredulity,  which  in  most 
cases  gave  place  to  joy  and  thankfulness  as  the  poor  men 
realized  their  good  fortune.  On  his  way  to  one  of  the 
houses,  the  Bailiff  came  unexpectedly  upon  Hans  Wu'st. 
"  Is  it  you,  Wiist?  "  he  cried.  "  Have  you  quite  forgotten 
the  money  I  lent  you  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  money  now,  and  when  I  come  to  think  of  it, 
I  am  afraid  I  have  paid  too  dearly  for  your  money  already." 

"  Nonsense,  Wu'st !  On  my  soul,  I  tell  you  that  you  only 
swore  to  what  I  read  aloud  to  you  a  hundred  times,  —  and 
you  said  each  time  :  '  Oh,  yes,  I  can  swear  to  that ! '  But 
you  only  say  this  on  account  of,  the  debt,  so  that  I  shall  let 
you  wait  longer." 

"No,  Bailiff,  you  are  wrong.  If  I  had  the  money,  I 
would  fling  it  at  your  feet,  so  that  I  might  never  have  to  look 
you  in  the  face  again.  I  tried  to  see  the  matter  as  you  did, 
although  I  was  conscious  all  the  time  that  our  gracious  mas- 
ter understood  it  differently." 

""What  business  was  it  of  yours  what  he  understood? 
You  swore  to  nothing  that  was  not  true." 

"  No,  Bailiff,  it  was  a  base  deceit.  Poor  Rudy !  Every- 
where I  go,  I  see  him  before  me,  and  his  poor,  sickly  chil- 


82  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

dren,  who  were  once  so  healthy  and  blooming,  before  I  swore 
that  false  oath  which  took  his  meadow  from  him." 

"  But  you  didn't  say  it  was  not  his,  or  that  it  was  mine. 
What  is  it  to  you  in  the  Devil's  name  to  whom  the  meadow 
belongs  ?  " 

"It  is  nothing  to  me  to  whom  the  meadow  belongs,  but 
everything  to  me  that  I  have  sworn  falsely,  God  forgive  me  !  " 

"But  I  tell  you,  you  didn't  swear  falsely,  Wu'st!  Now 
just  drive  it  out  of  your  head,  and  come  in  and  drink  a  glass 
of  wine  with  me,  to  cheer  you  up  ! " 

"No,  Bailiff.  Nothing  on  earth  can  make  me  cheerful 
now." 

"  Nonsense  !  See,  here  is  your  note,  and  I  will  tear  it  up 
before  your  eyes.  I  will  take  the  responsibility  of  the  matter 
on  my  own  shoulders." 

"Take  what  responsibility  you  will!  But  day  after  to- 
morrow I  shall  sell  my  Sundaj7  coat,  and  pay  your  debt." 

"  Don't  be  such  a  fool,  Wu'st !     But  I  must  be  going." 

"It  is  a  mercy!  For  if  you  staid  any  longer,  I  should 
go  mad  before  jrour  eyes." 

They  separated,  and  the  Bailiff  went  on  in  no  very  com- 
fortable frame  of  mind  to  the  house  of  Felix  Kriecher.  The 
latter  was  a  man  of  sanctimonious  appearance  and  deferen- 
tial manners,  who  attended  all  the  sermons  and  church  exer- 
cises, and  courted  favor  especially  with  the  pietists  of  the 
village,  without,  however,  attaining  to  more  than  partial  suc- 
cess in  that  quarter,  since  he  was  not  willing  to  sacrifice  his 
good  standing  among  the  remaining  villagers  for  their  sake. 
His  private  virtues,  which  were  reserved  strictly  for  the 
home  circle,  consisted  in  making  the  lives  of  his  wife  and 
children  miserable.  In  their  greatest  poverty  he  always 
demanded  something  good  to  eat,  and  unless  he  obtained  it, 
found  fault  with  everything.  If  there  was  nothing  else  to 
criticise,  and  his  little  four-year-old  happened  to  look  at  him 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  33 

askance,  he  would  strike  the  tiny  hands  with  violence,  "  to 
teach  it  proper  respect."  "  You  are  a  fool !  "  said  his  wife 
on  one  of  these  occasions.  He  kicked  her  in  return  for  this 
truthful  statement,  so  that  she  stumbled  and  fell,  receiving 
two  severe  wounds  in  her  head.  This  alarmed  the  hypocrite 
for  his  own  reputation,  and  he  begged  his  wife,  on  his  knees, 
to  tell  no  one  the  circumstances.  The  poor  woman  complied, 
and  told  the  neighbors  she  had  had  a  fall ;  but  Kriecher  had 
forgotten  the  wound  almost  before  it  was  healed. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  Bailiffs  visit,  the  cat  had 
upset  the  oil  lamp,  which  stood  on  the  stove,  and  a  few  drops 
had  been  spilled.  "  Idiot !  Why  didn't  you  train  her  better 
than  that?  "  he  cried  in  fury  to  his  wife.  "  Now  you  can 
sit  in  the  dark,  and  light  the  fire  with  cow-dung,  you  horned 
beast !  "  The  woman  was  silent,  but  tears  flowed  down  her 
cheeks,  and  the  children  were  crying  in  the  corners,  when 
there  came  a  knock  at  the  door.  "  Silence,  for  Heaven's 
sake  ! "  exclaimed  Kriecher  menacingly.  He  wiped  the  chil- 
dren's tears  with  his  handkerchief,  threatening  to  cut  any 
one  of  them  to  pieces  that  dared  to  whimper,  and  then  opened 
the  door  to  the  Bailiff  with  a  low  bow.  In  a  few  words 
Hummel  explained  his  errand.  Kriecher  listened,  and  as  all 
seemed  still  within  the  room,  he  made  answer:  "Come  in, 
Sir  Bailiff !  I  want  to  tell  my  dear  wife  at  once  what  a  piece 
of  good  fortune  has  befallen  me." 

They  entered,  and  the  hypocrite  announced  the  joyful 
tidings.  "Thank  God!"  said  the  poor  woman,  with  an 
involuntary  sigh. 

"Is  anything  the  matter  with  your  wife?"  inquired  the 
Bailiff. 

"  I  grieve  to  say  she  has  not  been  quite  well  for  some 
time  past,"  replied  Kriecher,  with  an  angry  glance  in  the 
direction  of  his  victim.  "  But,  Sir  Bailiff,  might  I  ask  you 
to  be  so  good  as  to  thank  our  gracious  master  in  my  name 
for  this  favor  ?  " 


84  LEONABD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

u  You  can  do  so  yourself." 

"  You  are  right,  Sir  Bailiff.  It  was  a  great  liberty  on  my 
part  to  ask  you  to  do  it.  I  will  go  to  the  Castle  within  a 
day  or  two,  —  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty." 

"Monday  morning  all  the  others  are  going,  and  you  might 
go  with  them." 

"  Certainly  I  will.     My  best  thanks  to  you,  Sir  Bailiff." 

"  You  have  no  occasion  to  thank  me,"  replied  the  magis- 
trate, taking  his  departure.  Soon  after,  he  sought  out  the 
rogue  Michael,  a  man  after  his  own  heart,  who  came  to  meet 
him  with  the  salutation :  "  What  the  Devil  are  you  up  to 
now?" 

"  Something  jolly,"  answered  Hummel. 

"  You  are  the  sort  of  fellow  they  would  be  likely  to  send 
out  to  invite  people  to  weddings,  dances,  and  jollifications 
generally ! " 

"  At  all  events  my  errand  is  no  melancholy  one." 

"Well,  what  is  it?" 

"  You  have  got  into  new  company." 

"Who  are  they?" 

"  H  iibel -Rudy,  Leuk,  Leemann,  Kriecher,  Marx,  and  some 
others." 

"  Nonsense !    What  am  I  to  do  in  company  with  them  ?  " 

"  Build  up  and  adorn  the  house  of  the  Lord  in  Bonnal." 

"  In  sober  earnest?" 

"  As  I'm  a  living  sinner." 

"But  who  has  chosen  the  halt  and  the  lame  for  such  a 
purpose  ?  " 

"Our  high-born,  sagacious,  and  august  master,  Arner," 
replied  the  Bailiff. 

"Is  he  a  fool?" 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  " 

"  It  looks  like  it." 

"  Perhaps  it  wouldn't  be  the  worst  thing  in  the  world  if 


LEONARD   AND  GERTRUDE.  35 

he  were !  But  I  must  be  going.  Come  to  my  house  this 
evening,  Michael ;  I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you." 

The  Bailiff  next  went  to  Marx,  formerly  a  well-to-do  mer- 
chant, whose  property  had  long  since  come  under  the  ham- 
mer, and  who  now  li ved  wholly  upon  the  charity  of  the  parson 
and  a  few  rich  relations.  In  the  depth  of  his  poverty,  how- 
ever, he  retained  his  pride,  and  concealed  his  destitute  con- 
dition most  carefully  from  all  except  those  who  aided  him. 
He  started  when  he  saw  the  Bailiff,  and  hustled  the  rags 
which  lay  about,  under  the  bed-quilt,  ordering  the  almost 
naked  children  to  hide  themselves  in  the  adjoining  room. 

"But,  father!"  they  cried;  "it  snows  and  rains  in! 
Just  hear  what  a  storm  it  is,  and  there  is  no  window  in  the 
room  now." 

"  Go  along,  you  wretched  children,  or  you  will  drive  me 
distracted !  Do  you  think  there  is  no  need  of  your  learning 
to  mortify  the  flesh?"  —  and  pushing  them  in,  he  fastened 
the  door,  and  then  invited  the  Bailiff  into  the  room. 

On  hearing  the  announcement,  Marx  inquired :  "  Am  I  to 
be  the  overseer  among  these  men  ?  " 

"What  are  you  thinking  of,  Marx?  You  are  workman, 
like  all  the  rest,  and  are  free  to  take  or  leave  the  job  as  you 
see  nt." 

"  I  have  not  been  accustomed  to  such  work ;  but  since  it 
is  under  Arner  and  the  pastor,  I  can't  very  well  decline." 

"They  will  be  greatly  rejoiced,  and  I  am  almost  inclined 
to  think  Arner  will  send  me  back  to  thank  you." 

"I  don't  mean  exactly  that;  but  generally  speaking,  1 
wouldn't  like  to  serve  under  everybody  as  day -laborer." 

"  Then  you  don't  lack  for  bread,"  observed  the  Bailiff. 

"  I  never  have  yet,  thank  God !  " 

"  So  I  supposed.     But  where  are  your  children?  " 

"  With  my  sainted  wife's  sister ;  they  dine  at  her  house." 

"  I  thought  I  heard  children  crying  in  the  next  room." 


86  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  There  isn't  one  of  them  at  home." 

But  the  Bailiff  heard  the  same  sound  again,  and,  opening 
the  door  without  ceremony,  beheld  the  almost  naked  children, 
with  chattering  teeth,  shivering  in  the  wind,  which  drove  the 
rain  and  snow  into  the  half  ruined  apartment.  "  Is  this 
where  your  children  dine,  Marx?"  he  asked. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  tell  nobody  of  it,  Bailiff !  I  should 
be  the  most  miserable  man  under  the  sun,  if  it  should  become 
known ! " 

"Are  you  beside  yourself,  Marx?  Why  don't  you  tell 
them  to  come  out?  Don't  you  see  they  are  blue  with  the 
cold  ?  I  wouldn't  treat  my  dog  so !  " 

"Well,  then,  children,  come  out!  But,  Bailiff,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  tell  nobody  !  " 

"And  you  play  the  saint  before  the  pastor,  you  pious  old 
infidel !  It  was  you  who  told  him  about  the  row  last  week, 
— you,  and  no  other !  You  were  going  home  past  my  house 
at  twelve  o'clock,  from  some  pious  feast  or  other." 

"  No,  as  sure  as  I  live,  Bailiff,  that  is  not  true  !  May  I 
never  stir  from  this  spot  again  if  it  is  !  " 

"  Marx,  will  you  maintain  what  you  have  just  said  before 
the  parson's  face  in  my  presence  ? "  Marx  stammered  and 
grew  confused.  "  Such  a  brute  and  a  liar  as  you  I  never 
met  before !  "  said  the  Bailiff;  and  before  an  hour  had  passed, 
he  related  the  whole  story  to  the  pastor's  cook,  who  promised 
to  report  it  to  her  master.  The  Bailiff  rejoiced  to  think  that 
the  clergyman  would  now  discontinue  his  weekly  donation  of 
bread ;  but  he  was  greatly  mistaken,  for  the  pastor  had  hith- 
erto given  the  bread  to  Marx,  not  on  account  of  his  virtue, 
but  of  his  hunger. 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  37 


CHAPTER  VH. 

HOW  EOGUES  DEAL  WITH  ONE  ANOTHER. 

IT  was  evening  before  the  Bailiff  had  completed  his  list  of 
visits,  and  when  he  reached  home,  he  found  his  tables  filled 
almost  as  full  as  usual  with  a  swaggering,  tippling,  good-for- 
nothing  crowd  of  peasants.  "Well,  my  good  friends,"  he 
cried,  well  pleased;  "it  is  very  handsome  in  you  not  to 
desert  me !  " 

"  We  haven't  had  enough  of  you  yet !  "  they  shouted, 
drinking  his  health  uproariously.  The  noise  was  so  great 
that  Hummel  bade  his  wife  close  the  shutters  and  put  out  the 
lights  toward  the  street;  then  they  transported  everything 
into  the  back  room,  whence  no  sound  could  penetrate  to  the 
ears  of  the  passer-by. 

When  Michael  appeared,  the  Bailiff  took  the  vacant  seat 
by  his  side,  and  clapping  him  on  the  shoulder,  exclaimed : 
"  Do  you  belong  among  the  sinners?  Since  your  invitation 
to  work  on  the  church-wall,  I  thought  you  had  suddenly 
grown  as  saintly  as  our  butcher  did,  when  he  had  to  ring  the 
bell  for  the  sexton  every  noon  for  a  week  ! " 

"  No,  Bailiff,  I  am  not  so  suddenly  converted ;  but  if  I 
once  begin,  I  am  not  likely  to  stop." 

"  I  would  like  to  be  your  father  confessor,  Michael !" 

"  But  I  wouldn't  like  to  have  you ! " 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  you  would  double  my  score  with  your  holy  chalk, 
while  I  should  want  a  father  confessor  who  would  forgive  and 
remit  sins,  not  mark  them  down  against  me." 


38  LEONAKD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

"  I  can  remit  sins  as  well  as  any  one,  and  have  it  often 
enough  to  do,"  said  the  Bailiff,  beckoning  his  companion  to 
a  little  table  which  stood  apart  in  the  corner,  and  adding  in 
a  lower  tone  :  "  It  is  lucky  for  you  that  you  have  come." 

"  I  am  in  need  of  luck !  "  Michael  replied. 

"  "Well,  if  you  will  take  the  trouble,  you  can  make  money 
enough  in  your  new  position." 

"How?" 

"You  must  get  into  the  mason's  good  graces,  and  appear 
very  hungry  and  poor." 

"  That  I  can  do  without  making  believe." 

"  Then  you  must  often  give  your  supper  to  your  children, 
so  that  people  shall  think  your  heart  is  as  soft  as  melted  but- 
ter ;  and  your  children  must  run  after  you  barefoot  and  in 
rags." 

"  That's  not  so  hard,  either." 

"  And  when  you  are  the  favorite  out  of  all  the  ten,  then 
your  real  work  will  begin,  which  is,  to  do  everything  in  your 
power  to  bring  the  building  into  discredit,  and  make  mischief 
between  the  workmen  and  the  authorities." 

"That  will  not  be  quite  so  easy,"  observed  the  peasant 
dubiously. 

"  But  you  will  make  money  by  it." 

"Two  thalers  in  advance,  Sir  Bailiff,  if  you  please  I 
Otherwise  I  refuse  to  enlist  in  this  campaign." 

After  a  vain  attempt  to  resist  this  demand,  the  Bailiff 
yielded,  whereupon  Michael  expressed  his  willingness  to 
receive  orders. 

"I  think  some  night  you  could  easily  break  down  the 
scaffolding,  and  smash  in  a  couple  of  the  church- windows  at 
a  single  blow ;  of  course  ropes,  and  tools,  and  all  such  odds 
and  ends,  would  disappear  mysteriously." 

"  Of  course,"  echoed  Michael. 

"  And  then  on  a  dark  night  it  would  not  be  difficult  to 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  39 

carry  all  the  planks  down  hill  to  the  river,  and  start  them  on 
a  journey  to  Holland." 

"  Nothing  could  be  simpler !  And  I  will  hang  a  white 
shirt  on  a  pole,  in  the  middle  of  the  churchyard,  so  that  if 
the  watchman  and  neighbors  hear  any  noise,  they  may  see  a 
ghost,  and  keep  out  of  the  way." 

"  What  an  idea,  Michael !  But  that  is  not  all.  If  there 
are  any  of  Arner's  drawings  or  plans  lying  about,  you  must 
carry  them  off  where  nobody  would  think  of  looking  for 
them,  and  at  night  go  and  get  them  to  light  your  fire  with." 

"  Very  well,  Sir." 

"  Then  }*ou  must  try  to  bring  it  about  that  your  honorable 
companions  in  service  shall  take  life  easy  and  dawdle  over 
their  work  ;  and  if  Arner  or  any  one  comes  from  the  Castle, 
the  disorder  must  be  at  its  height.  I  think  you  understand 
me  now.  But,  Michael,  the  most  important  thing  of  all  is 
that  you  and  I  shall  be  enemies ;  so  we  will  begin  now. 
Somebody  might  report  how  we  held  counsel  together  in  this 
corner." 

"  Very  true,  Sir." 

"  Drink  a  couple  of  glasses,  and  then  I  will  pretend  to 
call  you  to  account  for  some  reckoning.  You  will  contradict 
me,  there  will  be  high  words  between  us,  and  we  will  put 
you  out  of  doors." 

This  was  soon  accomplished  without  difficulty. 

"  Bring  us  wine  !  "  cried  the  men  presently  to  their  hostess. 
"  Bailiff,  we  will  drink  on  the  strength  of  the  coming  harvest, 
—  a  sheaf  out  of  the  tithe  for  a  measure  of  wine." 

"  You  will  pay  me  very  soon  !  "  observed  their  host  ironi- 
cally. 

"Not,  so  soon,"  they  answered,  "but  all  the  heavier 
weight." 

Before  long,  all  tongues  were  loosened  by  the  wine,  and 
there  arose  from  every  table  a  mixture  of  curses  and  oaths, 


40  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

of  swaggering  abuse  and  wanton  jest.  Stories  were  told  of 
theft  and  trickery,  of  lawsuits  and  riots,  and  of  old  Uli,  who 
had  paid  the  penalty  of  his  roguery  on  the  gallows.  They 
were  in  the  midst  of  this  thrilling  tale,  when  the  Bailiff's 
wife  beckoned  him  to  the  door,  and  told  him  that  Joseph 
wanted  to  see  him.  She  had  made  the  fellow  take  off  his 
shoes  and  follow  her  noiselessly  into  a  private  room  below, 
where  he  was  soon  joined  by  the  Bailiff,  who  accosted 
him  with  :  "  What  do  you  want  so  late,  Joseph?  " 

"  Not  much.  I  only  wanted  to  tell  you  that  it  is  all  right 
about  the  stone." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  Joseph." 

"  My  master  was  talking  about  the  wall  to-day,  and  said 
the  flint-stone  close  by  was  very  good.  But  I  told  him  to 
his  face  that  he  was  a  fool,  and  that  if  the  wall  were  made 
of  Schwendi  stone,  it  would  be  as  smooth  as  a  plate.  He 
said  nothing  against  it,  so  we  shall  open  the  quarry  on 
Monday,  after  the  workmen  have  returned  from  the  Castle." 

"  That  is  famous  !  — if  it  were  only  done  !_  Your  reward 
is  ready,  Joseph." 

"  I  am  in  great  need  of  it  at  this  very  moment,  Bailiff." 

"Come  for  it  Monday,  after  you  have  begun  on  the 
quarry." 

"But  I  wanted  to  go  after  my  new  boots  to-morrow, — 
give  me  three  thalers  now  on  our  bargain ! " 

"  I  can't  very  well  at  present.     Come  Monday  evening." 

But  Joseph  was  firm.  It  was  plain,  he  said,  how  much 
confidence  the  Bailiff  had  in  his  word ;  and  when  once  the 
quarry  was  opened,  he  felt  sure  that  he,  for  his  own  part, 
could  no  longer  rely  on  the  Bailiffs  promises.  All  Hummel' s 
assurances  were  in  vain,  and  he  finally  bade  his  wife  give 
Joseph  three  thalers.  She  took  him  aside,  and  earnestly 
besought  him  to  reconsider.  "  Don't  be  so  foolish  !  "  she 
pleaded.  "You  have  been  drinking,  and  will  repent  to* 
morrow." 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  41 

He  insisted,  however,  and  as  he  placed  the  money  in 
Joseph's  hand,  he  said  once  more :  "  You  will  not  deceive 
me?" 

' '  Heaven  forbid !  What  do  you  take  me  for  ?  "  was  the 
reply.  But  as  he  reached  the  door,  Joseph  muttered  to 
himself :  "  Now  I  have  my  reward  safer  than  it  would  have 
been  in  the  Bailiff's  chest.  He  is  an  old  rogue,  and  can't 
make  a  fool  of  me.  My  master  can  take  flint  or  blue  stone 
now,  for  aught  I  care  ! " 


42  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER 
A  GOOD  MOTHER'S  SATURDAY  EVENING. 

GERTRUDE,  meanwhile,  was  at  home  alone  with  her  chil- 
dren. Thoughtful  and  silent,  she  prepared  the  supper,  and 
then  took  from  the  chest  the  Sunday  clothes  of  all  the 
family,  so  that  on  the  morrow  no  petty  cares  might  distract 
her  thoughts  from  better  things.  When  all  was  ready,  she 
gathered  the  children  about  her,  for  it  was  her  custom  every 
Saturday  to  call  their  attention  to  their  faults,  and  inculcate 
any  lessons  which  the  events  of  the  week  might  bring  home 
to  then*  minds.  To-day  she  was  especially  anxious  to 
impress  their  young  hearts  with  a  sense  of  the  goodness  of 
God,  as  manifested  during  the  past  week;  and  when  the 
little  hands  were  all  folded,  Gertrude  thus  spoke :  "  Children, 
I  have  something  joyful  to  tell  you.  Your  dear  father  has 
the  promise  of  such  good  work  that  he  will  be  able  to 
earn  much  more  than  before,  and  we  may  hope  in  future 
to  have  less  trouble  and  anxiety  about  getting  our  daily 
bread.  Thank  the  dear  God,  my  children,  for  being  so  good 
to  us,  and  do  not  forget  the  tune  when  every  mouthful  of 
bread  had  to  be  counted !  Think  always  of  those  who  suffer 
from  hunger  and  want,  as  you  did  once,  and  if  you  have  a 
trifle  more  than  you  really  need,  do  not  grudge  giving  it  to 
them.  Will  you  do  this,  children?" 

"  Oh,  yes  indeed,  mother ! "  they  all  cried  with  one  voice. 
Gertrude  now  asked  the  children  whether  they  would  not 
sometimes  like  to  give  away  their  afternoon  bread  to  those 
poorer  than  themselves,  and  on  meeting  with  an  eager 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  43 

response,  she  told  each  one  to  think  of  some  hungry  child 
who  might  be  gladdened  by  the  gift.  Nicholas  mentioned 
their  neighbor,  little  Rudy  ;  Lizzie  spoke  of  Marx's  daughter 
Betty ;  and  so  with  the  others  in  turn.  They  were  all  so  full 
of  the  idea  that  they  resolved,  with  one  accord,  to  carry  out 
the  plan  on  the  following  day. 

Then  Gertrude  spoke  of  Arner's  presents  to  the  children, 
and  promising  to  show  them  the  money  after  then'  evening 
prayer,  she  began :  "  Well,  my  dears,  how  has  it  been  about 
doing  right  this  week?"  The  children  looked  at  each  other, 
and  were  silent.  "  Annie,  have  you  been  good  this  week?" 

Casting  down  her  eyes  in  shame,  the  child  replied  :  "  No, 
mother ;  you  know  how  it  was  with  my  little  brother  " — 

"Annie,  something  might  have  happened  to  the  child, — 
and  just  think  how  you  would  like  it,  if  you  should  be  shut 
up  in  a  room  all  alone  without  food  or  amusement !  Little 
children  who  are  left  alone  in  that  way  sometimes  scream  so 
that  they  injure  themselves  for  life.  Why,  Annie,  I  could 
never  feel  easy  about  going  away  from  home,  if  I  thought 
you  would  not  take  good  care  of  the  child." 

' '  Indeed,  mother,  I  will  never  leave  him  alone  again  !  " 

"And,  Nicholas,"  said  Gertrude,  turning  to  her  oldest 
son ;  "  how  is  it  with  you  this  week?  " 

"  I  don't  remember  anything  wrong." 

"  Have  you  forgotten  that  you  knocked  down  little  Peggy 
on  Monday  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  mean  to,  mother." 

"I  should  hope  not,  Nicholas!  Aren't  you  ashamed  of 
talking  so?  If  you  grow  up  without  considering  the  comfort 
of  those  about  you,  you  will  have  to  learn  the  lesson  through 
bitter  experience.  Remember  that,  and  be  careful,  my  dear 
boy. —  And  Lizzie,  how  have  you  behaved  this  week  ?  " 

"I  can't  think  of  anything  out  of  the  way  this  weekt 
mother." 


44  LEONAED  AND  GERTRUDE. 

.*'  Are  you  sure?" 

"  I  really  can't,  mother,  think  as  hard  as  I  can  ;  if  I  could, 
I  would  willingly  tell  you  of  it,  mother." 

"  How  you  do  manage  to  use  as  many  words,  even  when 
you  have  nothing  to  say,  as  any  one  else  who  says  a  great 
deal ! " 

"What did  I  say  now,  mother?" 

"  Nothing  at  all,  and  yet  a  great  deal.  It  is  just  what  we 
have  told  you  a  thousand  times, — you  never  think  before- 
hand of  what  you  are  going  to  say,  and  yet  must  be  always 
talking.  What  business  was  it  of  yours  to  tell  the  Bailiff, 
day  before  yesterday,  that  you  knew  Arner  would  come 
soon?  Suppose  your  father  had  not  wished  him  to  know 
that  he  knew  it,  and  your  chattering  had  brought  him  into 
trouble?" 

"I  should  be  very  sorry,  mother.  But  neither  of  you  said 
a  word  about  its  being  a  secret." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  tell  your  father  when  he  comes  home, 
that,  whenever  we  are  talking  together,  we  must  take  care  to 
add  after  each  sentence  :  '  Lizzie  may  tell  that  to  the  neigh- 
bors, and  talk  about  it  at  the  well ;  but  this  she  must  not 
mention  outside  the  house.'  So  then  you  will  know  precisely 
what  you  may  chatter  about." 

"O  mother,  forgive  me  !     That  was  not  what  I  meant." 

Gertrude  talked  similarly  with  all  the  other  children  about 
their  faults,  even  saying  to  little  Peggy:  "You  mustn't  be 
so  impatient  for  your  soup,  or  I  shall  make  you  wait  longer 
another  time,  and  give  it  to  one  of  the  others." 

After  this  was  over,  the  children  folded  their  hands  and 
said  their  usual  evening  prayer,  followed  by  a  special  prayer 
for  Saturday  night,  which  Gertrude  had  taught  them.  When 
the  mother  had  uttered  a  final  benediction,  all  sat  quiet  for  a 
little  while,  until  Lizzie  broke  the  silence.  "  Now  will  you 
show  us  the  new  money,  mother  ?  " 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  46 

"  Yes.     But,  Lizzie,  you  are  always  the  first  to  speak !  " 

Nicholas  sprang  from  his  seat,  and  in  pressing  forward  to 
the  light,  gave  little  Peggy  such  a  violent  push  that  she  cried 
aloud. 

"  Nicholas  !"  said  his  mother,  "  that  is  not  right.  It  is 
not  a  quarter  of  an  hour  since  you  promised  to  be  more  care- 
ful. You  are  not  in  earnest." 

"  O  mother,  I  never  will  do  so  again  as  long  as  I  live  I  I 
am  really  in  earnest,  and  very  sorry." 

"  So  am  I,  dear  boy ;  but  you  will  forget  it  all  unless  I 
punish  you.  You  must  go  to  bed  without  your  supper." 

She  led  the  boy  to  his  room,  while  the  other  children  stood 
sadly  by.  "Do  let  him  out  again,  just  this  oncel"  they 
entreated. 

"  No,  my  dears  ;  he  must  be  cured  of  his  carelessness." 

"  Then  we'll  not  look  at  our  money  till  to-morrow,  so  that 
he  can  see  it  with  us,"  proposed  Annie. 

"  That  is  right,  Annie  ! "  —  and  after  giving  the  children 
their  supper,  Gertrude  went  with  them  to  the  bedroom,  where 
Nicholas  was  still  crying.  "My  dear,  dear  boy,"  she  said, 
"  do  be  careful  another  time  !  " 

"  Forgive  me,  dear  mother  !  "  he  cried,  throwing  his  arms 
about  her  neck.  "  Only  forgive  me  and  kiss  me,  and  I  don't 
mind  losing  my  supper  at  all." 

Gertrude  kissed  him,  and  a  warm  tear  fell  upon  his  face. 
She  blessed  the  other  children,  and  returned  alone  to  the 
dimly  lighted  room.  A  solemn  stillness  filled  her  heart ;  she 
was  penetrated  with  a  consciousness  of  God's  goodness,  and 
the  happiness  of  those  who  place  their  trust  in  him.  She 
was  so  deeply  moved  that  she  sank  upon  her  knees  and  wept. 
Her  eyes  were  still  moist  when  her  husband  returned  home. 
"  Why  are  you  wf  eping,  Gertrude?  "  he  inquired. 

"My  dear  husband,  these  are  no  tears  of  sorrow;  I 
wanted  to  thank  God  for  the  blessings  of  this  week,  but  my 
heart  was  so  full  that  I  could  not  speak  for  weeping." 


46  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

Leonard  leaned  his  head  upon  her  breast,  and  his  eyes 
were  also  filled  with  tears.  Neither  spoke  for  a  short  time  ; 
but  at  last  Gertrude  asked  if  he  did  not  wish  any  supper. 
"  No,"  he  replied  ;  "  my  heart  is  too  full ;  I  cannot  eat." 

"  Neither  can  I,  dear.  But  I  will  tell  you  what  we  will 
do.  We  will  carry  our  supper  to  poor  Rudy,  whose  mother 
died  to-day." 

When  they  reached  the  house,  Rudy  was  sitting  weeping 
beside  the  corpse,  and  his  little  boy  called  from  the  adjoin- 
ing room,  begging  for  bread,  or  raw  roots,  or  anything 
to  eat.  "Alas!  I  have  nothing,"  answered  the  father. 
"  For  Heaven's  sake,  be  quiet  till  morning !  " 

"But  I  am  so  hungry,  father !"  moaned  the  child.  "I 
am  so  hungry  I  cannot  sleep." 

Leonard  and  Gertrude  heard  the  words,  and  opening  the 
door,  set  down  the  food,  and  bade  them  eat  quickly,  before 
it  was  cold.  Deeply  affected,  the  mourner  called  to  the  boy : 
"  Rudy,  these  are  the  people  from  whom  you  stole  potatoes, 
—  and  alas !  I  too,  have  eaten  some  !  " 

"  Say  no  more  about  that,"  said  Gertrude,  "  but  eat." 

"  Do  let  us  eat,  father !  "  begged  the  child. 

"  Well,  then,  say  your  grace." 

The  boy  obeyed,  then  took  up  the  spoon,  trembled,  wept 
and  ate.  They  put  aside  a  part  of  the  food  for  the  sleeping 
children,  and  the  afflicted  father  attempted  once  more  to 
thank  his  benefactors.  As  he  did  so,  a  sigh  escaped  him. 

"Is  anything  the  matter,  Rudy?  Is  there  anything  we 
can  do  for  you  ?  "  asked  Leonard  and  Gertrude. 

"  No,  nothing,  thank  you,"  he  replied,  with  difficulty 
repressing  another  deep  sigh. 

The  two  looked  at  him  compassionately.  "  But  you  sigh; 
you  certainly  have  some  trouble  at  heart." 

"  Do  tell  them,  father,  they  are  so  good ! "  besought  little 
Rudy. 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  47 

"May  I?"  said  the  poor  man  reluctantly.  "I  have 
neither  shoes  nor  stockings,  and  to-morrow  I  must  follow  my 
mother  to  the  grave,  and  the  day  after  go  to  the  Castle." 

"  The  idea  of  tormenting  yourself  so  about  that ! "  cried 
Leonard.  "  Why  didn't  you  say  so  at  first?  I  shall  be  very 
glad  to  provide  you  with  them." 

"  And  can  you  believe,"  said  Rudy  humbly,  "  that,  after 
all  that  has  happened,  I  will  return  them  to  you  uninjured 
and  with  thanks  ?  " 

"  Hush,  Rudy  !  I  would  trust  you  yet  further  than  that. 
Your  poverty  and  distress  have  made  you  too  distrustful." 

As  Gertrude  expressed  a  wish  to  look  upon  the  dead,  they 
all  went  with  a  feeble  light  to  the  bedside,  and  stood  with 
tears  in  their  eyes,  gazing  down  upon  the  peaceful  face. 
Then  they  covered  up  the  lifeless  form,  and  took  leave  of 
each  other  warmly,  although  without  words. 


48  LEONARD   AND  GERTBUDE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TWO   SERMONS,  AND   THEIR  RESULTS. 

THE  next  morning,  the  pastor  preached  a  stirring  sermon 
against  the  ungodly,  who  grow  rich  by  oppressing  and 
cheating  the  poor,  and  whose  consciences  never  give  them  a 
moment's  genuine  peace.  What  right  have  such  monsters 
of  iniquity  to  present  themselves  before  the  table  of  the 
Lord?  He  closed  with  an  exhortation  to  the  poor  and 
oppressed  not  to  fear  then-  powerful  enemies,  but  to  put 
their  trust  in  the  God  of  love,  and  to  approach  his  holy 
meal  with  thanksgiving.  The  communion  followed,  in  the 
distribution  of  which  the  Bailiff  assisted,  although  at  heart 
he  was  furious  at  the  transparent  allusions  the  clergyman's 
discourse  contained.  Hummel  went  home  and  summoned 
his  good-for-nothing  comrades  to  the  house,  who  joined  him 
in  abusing  the  sermon.  But  it  happened  that  a  church- 
warden, who  lived  in  the  same  street  with  the  Bailiff,  and 
saw  the  men  slink  into  the  tavern  between  the  services,  set  a 
reliable  man  to  watch  and  see  whether  the  fellows  came  out 
again  before  the  afternoon  meeting.  As  they  did  not,  he 
went  to  the  pastor,  and  informed  him  of  his  discovery. 

When  the  good  man  was  reading  to  his  congregation  that 
afternoon  the  story  of  the  Passion,  he  came  to  the  words  : 
"And  when  Judas  had  taken  the  sop,  Satan  entered  into  his 
heart ; "  and  he  proceeded  to  discourse  at  length  upon  the 
history  of  the  traitor.  He  declared  that  all  those  who  went 
from  the  communion-table  to  gambling  and  drinking  were 
not  one  whit  better  than  Judas  himself,  and  would  come  to 


LEONAED   AND   GERTRUDE.  49 

the  same  end.  He  even  grew  so  excited  that  he  brought  his 
fist  down  with  violence  upon  the  pulpit-rail,  which  he  had 
not  done  for  many  years.  The  people  at  first  were  aston- 
ished, but  soon  began  to  suspect  the  cause  of  this  unusual 
zeal ;  and  before  long,  every  eye  was  turned  to  the  unfor- 
tunate wife  of  the  Bailiff,  who  sat  beside  his  empty  seat. 
She  dared  not  look  any  one  in  the  face,  and  escaped  from 
the  church  during  the  singing,  followed  by  whispered  jeers. 
She  ran  home  as  fast  as  she  could,  entered  the  room,  flung 
her  prayer-book  angrily  into  the  midst  of  the  flasks  and 
glasses,  and  began  to  sob  aloud. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  cried  the  Bailiff  and  the  neighbors. 

"  That  you  ought  to  know  without  asking !  It  isn't  right 
for  you  to  be  tippling  here  on  a  Sunday  !  " 

«« Is  that  all?  "  inquired  the  Bailiff. 

"  This  is  the  first  time  you  ever  cried  about  it,"  sneered 
the  peasants. 

"I  thought  at  the  very  least  you  had  lost  your  purse," 
said  her  husband.  "  Leave  off  blubbering  and  tell  us  what 
the  matter  is ! " 

"The  pastor  must  have  learned  that  these  friends  of 
yours  were  drinking  here  during  the  sermon." 

"What  Satan  can  have  told  him  that?"  exclaimed  the 
Bailiff  in  dismay. 

"What  Satan,  you  fool?  They  didn't  come  down  the 
chimney,  did  they?  —  but  walked  calmly  along  the  street 
with  their  tobacco-pipes,  past  the  churchwarden's  house. 
And  now  the  parson  has  been  talking  in  a  way  I  cannot 
describe,  and  all  the  people  pointed  at  me  with  their  fingers. 
—  But,  neighbors,  go  as  quickly  as  ever  you  can,  out  through 
the  back  door,  before  they  have  finished  singing,  so  that,  as 
they  come  home  from  church,  they  will  find  each  one  of  you 
at  his  own  door." 

"  Yes,  go  !  "  ordered  the  Bailiff. 


50  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

When  they  were  alone,  his  wife  told  him  in  detail  of  the 
pastor's  sermon,  which  so  terrified  him  that  for  a  time  he 
was  unable  to  speak.  When  he  had  somewhat  recovered, 
he  told  her  how  furious  he  had  been  over  the  morning's  dis- 
course. "  I  could  not  pray  at  communion,"  he  said.  "  My 
heart  was  like  a  stone,  and  when  the  pastor  gave  me  the 
bread,  he  looked  at  me  in  a  way  I  shall  never  forget.  A 
cold  perspiration  stood  out  on  my  forehead  as  I  took  the 
bread  from  him,  and  I  trembled  so  at  the  altar  that  I  could 
hardly  hold  the  goblet.  Joseph  came  up  in  his  torn  boots, 
and  cast  down  his  rascally  eyes  when  he  saw  me,  —  how  I 
shuddered  at  the  thought  of  my  three  thalers!  Next  came 
Gertrude,  raised  her  eyes  toward  heaven,  and  fixed  them  on 
the  cup,  as  if  she  did  not  see  me.  She  hates  me,  and  seeks 
my  ruin ;  yet  she  behaved  as  if  I  were  not  there.  Then  the 
mason  approached,  and  looked  at  me  as  sorrowfully  as  if  he 
wanted  to  ask  my  forgiveness  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart, 
whereas  he  would  be  glad  to  bring  me  to  the  gallows  if  he 
could.  Finally  Michael  came,  as  pale  and  terrified  as  I 
myself.  I  was  afraid  Hans  Wust  would  be  the  next,  and  if 
he  had  come,  I  should  certainly  have  sunk  to  the  ground. 
As  it  was,  when  I  went  back  to  my  seat,  I  trembled  so  from 
head  to  foot  that  I  could  not  hold  the  singing-book.  And 
all  the  time  I  kept  thinking :  '  Arner  is  to  blame  for  every 
thing.'  And  in  my  anger  and  rage  something  came  into  my 
head  which  I  hardly  dare  tell  you, — I  thought  of  digging 
up  the  great  boundary  stone  on  the  mountain,  and  rolling  it 
down  the  precipice ;  nobody  knows  of  this  stone  except 
myself,  and  if  it  were  removed,  Arner  would  lose  a  third 
part  of  his  forest  territory,  for  the  government  boundary 
would  cut  away  the  piece  of  land  in  a  straight  line  from  the 
rest  of  his  property." 

Terrified  by  her  husband's  words,  the  Bailiff's  wife  ear- 
nestly exhorted  him  to  give  up  all  intercourse  with  his 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  51 

evil  companions,  who  would  be  the  ruin  of  him,  she  said, 
before  long.  He  made  no  reply,  but  walked  out  absently 
into  the  garden,  and  made  a  restless  tour  of  his  premises, 
ever  accompanied  by  the  strange  thought  which  possessed 
his  mind.  The  upshot  of  his  reflections  was  that  he  dared 
not  remove  the  boundary  ;  for  the  task  must  be  performed  at 
night,  when  he  had  not  courage  to  go  up  into  the  dark  wood 
alone,  for  fear  of  ghosts  and  hobgoblins.  Yet  he  could 
not  banish  the  idea,  and  to  deliver  himself  from  his  own 
thoughts,  he  ran  out  into  the  street,  and  engaged  in  conver- 
sation with  the  first  neighbor  he  met.  Later  he  found  a 
couple  of  thirsty  wretches,  whom  he  brought  into  the  house  ; 
and  by  treating  them  to  liquor,  he  induced  them  to  bear  him 
company  for  the  remainder  of  this  dreadful  day. 


52  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  X. 

SUNDAY   JOTS   AND   CHILDISH   CHARACTER. 

MEANWHILE,  the  Sunday  had  been  very  differently  spent 
in  the  humble  dwelling  of  the  mason.  While  Leonard  and 
Gertrude  were  at  church,  the  children  prayed,  sang,  and 
reviewed  what  they  had  learned  during  the  week,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  repeat  it  to  their  mother  in  the  evening.  Lizzie,  the 
oldest,  had  the  care  of  baby  Peggy  during  Gertrude's  ab- 
sence, and  it  was  her  greatest  delight  to  dress,  feed,  and  tend 
the  little  one.  It  was  pretty  to  see  her  motherly  airs  as  she 
dandled  and  kissed  and  played  with  her  charge.  How 
pleased  she  was  when  the  baby  laughed  back  at  her  with 
outstretched  arms,  and  kicked  with  its  tiny  feet !  Then  it 
would  grasp  Lizzie's  cap,  or  her  pig- tails,  or  her  nose,  and 
crow  over  her  bright  Sunday  neckerchief,  until  Nicholas  an<J 
Annie  would  come  up  behind  and  crow  in  imitation ;  then 
the  little  one  would  turn  at  the  sound,  and  laugh  at  th« 
merry  Nicholas,  who  would  spring  forward  to  kiss  his  babj 
sister.  This  would  arouse  Lizzie's  jealousy,  and  she  woul<J 
exert  herself  to  the  utmost  to  make  the  little  darling  laugh  a\ 
her.  She  devoted  herself  to  the  amusement  of  her  charge, 
lifting  the  child  in  her  arms  almost  to  the  ceiling,  and  then 
letting  it  down  carefully  to  the  very  ground,  until  it  screamed 
aloud  with  delight.  Then  she  would  hold  it  close  to  the 
looking-glass,  so  that  it  laughed  at  the  baby  within ;  but  the 
most  joyful  moment  of  all  was  when  the  little  one  espied  its 
mother  far  down  the  street,  crowed,  stretched  out  its  tiny 
hands,  and  nearly  sprang  out  of  Lizzie's  anus. 


Gertrude  was  satisfied  with  her  children  to-day,  for  they 
had  done  everything  as  she  had  told  them.  They  now  had 
their  reward  in  a  frolic  with  their  parents,  for  climbing  joy- 
fully into  the  laps  of  father  and  mother,  the  children  pos- 
sessed themselves  of  their  hands,  and  clasped  their  necks 
tightly  with  small  arms.  Ever  since  Gertrude  had  been  a 
mother,  this  was  her  Sunday  delight ;  but  to-day  Leonard's 
eyes  filled  with  tears  at  the  thought  that  he  had  often  de- 
prived himself  of  these  home  joys.  The  happy  parents 
talked  with  the  children  of  then*  Father  in  heaven,  and  the 
sufferings  of  their  Saviour,  while  the  little  ones  listened  atten- 
tively. The  noon  hour  passed  as  swiftly  and  happily  as  a 
wedding  feast,  and  the  peal  of  bells  again  summoned  Leon- 
ard and  Gertrude  to  church. 

When  they  returned  home  in  the  afternoon,  the  children 
ran  down  the  steps  to  meet  them,  crying :  "  Oh,  do  hurry, 
mother!  We  want  to  repeat  what  we  have  learned  this 
week,  and  get  through  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Why  are  you  in  such  desperate  haste,  my  dears?"  asked 
Gertrude  smiling. 

"Why,  when  we  are  through,  mother,  you  know  what 
you  promised  us  yesterday  about  the  bread.  We  may, 
mother,  mayn't  we  ?  " 

"  First  I  will  see  how  well  you  know  what  you  have 
learned,"  was  the  reply. 

The  lesson  was  soon  satisfactorily  concluded,  whereupon 
Gertrude  brought  out  the  bread,  and  two  dishes  of  milk 
from  which  she  had  not  removed  the  cream,  because  it  was 
a  holiday.  Not  one  of  the  children  touched  the  bread,  but 
each  rejoiced  over  his  or  her  piece,  maintaining  that  it  was 
the  largest.  When  the  milk  had  disappeared,  Nicholas  crept 
up  to  his  mother's  side,  and  taking  her  hand,  whispered : 
"You  will  give  me  just  one  mouthful  of  bread  for  myself, 
will  you  not,  mother?" 


54  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  You  have  your  piece,  Nicholas." 

"  But  I  must  give  it  to  Rudy." 

"I  haven't  told  you  to  give  it  to  him,"  said  his  mother. 
"  You  can  eat  it  if  you  like." 

"I  don't  want  to  eat  it;  but  you  will  give  me  just  one 
mouthful  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,  my  boy." 

"Why  not?" 

"  So  that  you  needn't  imagine  we  are  only  to  think  of  the 
poor  after  our  own  hunger  is  satisfied.  And  now  will  you 
give  him  the  whole  of  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mother,  every  bit.  I  know  he  is  frightfully  hungry, 
and  we  have  supper  at  six." 

"  Yes,  Nicholas,  and  I  hardly  think  he  will  have  anything 
to  eat  then." 

The  mother  now  turned  to  the  other  children,  and  asked  if 
they,  too,  had  quite  decided  to  give  their  bread  away,  re- 
ceiving in  each  case  an  affirmative  answer.  "  That  is  right, 
children,"  she  said.  •"  But  now,  how  will  you  set  about  it? 
—  Nicholas,  how  are  you  going  to  manage  with  your  bread  ?  " 

"  I'll  run  as  fast  as  I  can,  and  call  Rudy.  I  shall  not  put 
it  in  my  pocket,  so  that  he  may  have  it  all  the  quicker.  Let 
me  go,  mother !  " 

"  Stop  a  minute,  Nicholas !  —  Lizzie,  what  are  you  going 
to  do?" 

"  I  am  not  going  to  do  like  Nicholas.  I  shall  call  Betty 
into  a  corner,  and  hide  the  bread  under  my  apron,  so  that 
nobody  will  see  it,  not  even  her  father." 

"And  Annie?" 

' '  I  can't  tell  where  I  shall  find  Harry  —  I  shall  give  it  to 
him  just  as  it  happens." 

"  And  Jonas,  you  little  rogue,  you  have  some  mischief  in 
your  head  ;  how  are  you  planning  to  do  it?" 

"  I  shall  stick  my  bread  into  his  mouth,  mother,  as  you  do 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  55 

to  me  in  fun.  '  Open  your  mouth  and  shut  your  eyes,'  I 
shall  say,  and  then  put  it  between  his  teeth.  Don't  you 
think  he'll  laugh?" 

"That  is  all  very  well,  children,"  said  Gertrude.  "But 
I  must  tell  you  one  thing :  you  must  give  away  the  bread 
quietly,  so  no  one  may  see,  that  people  needn't  think  you 
want  to  show  off  your  generosity. " 

"  "Whew  !  mother,"  cried  Nicholas  ;  "  then  I  must  put  my 
bread  in  my  pocket?  " 

"Of  course,  Nicholas." 

"  That  is  just  what  occurred  to  me,  mother,"  said  Lizzie. 
"  You  know  I  said  just  now  that  I  wouldn't  do  like  him." 

"You  are  always  the  wisest,  Lizzie.  I  forgot  to  praise 
you  for  it,  and  you  do  well  to  remind  me  of  it  yourself." 
Lizzie  colored,  and  was  silent. 

The  children  departed  on  their  several  missions.  Nicholas 
ran  at  full  speed  to  Rudy's  cottage,  but  no  one  was  in  sight. 
After  calling  several  times  without  any  reply,  he  went  into 
the  house.  Little  Rudy  was  sitting  with  his  father  and  the 
other  children,  weeping  beside  the  coffin  of  his  grandmother, 
when  Nicholas  opened  the  door  of  the  room,  and  started 
back  at  sight  of  the  dead.  The  father  saw  him,  and  think- 
ing there  might  be  some  message  from  Leonard,  ran  after 
the  boy,  and  asked  what  he  wanted.  "  Nothing,"  answered 
Nicholas;  "I  only  wanted  to  see  Rudy,  but  he  is  praying 
now." 

"  Come  in,  if  you  want  to  see  him." 

"  I  can't.     Please  let  him  come  out  to  me  a  minute  !  " 

The  father  beckoned  to  his  son,  but  little  Rudy  called  out 
to  his  friend:  "I  don't  want  to  come  into  the  street  now, 
Nicholas !  I  would  rather  stay  with  my  grandmother,  — 
they  will  take  her  away  from  me  soon." 

"  Just  come  a  minute  !  "  pleaded  the  visitor. 

He  came  out ;  and  Nicholas,  taking  him  by  the  arm,  whis- 


56  LEONARD  ANI>  GERTRUDE. 

pered  mysteriously :  "  Come,  I  have  something  to  say  to 
you !  "  and  leading  him  into  a  retired  corner,  he  transferred 
the  bread  from  his  own  pocket  to  Rudy's,  and  ran  away  as 
quickly  as  he  had  come. 

Lizzie,  meanwhile,  had  advanced  with  measured  pace  to 
the  upper  village,  where  Marx's  daughter  Betty  lived.  The 
latter  was  standing  at  the  window,  and  slipped  quietly  out 
of  the  room  in  response  to  a  signal  from  her  friend.  '  Not  so 
quietly,  however,  but  that  her  father  noticed  it,  and  creeping 
after  her,  concealed  himself  behind  the  door. 

"  Here,  Betty,  I  have  some  bread  for  you,"  began  Lizzie. 

The  girl  stretched  out  a  trembling  hand  for  the  offered 
food,  as  she  answered :  "  How  good  you  are,  Lizzie  !  I  am 
very  hungry.  But  why  should  you  bring  me  bread  now  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  fond  of  you,  Betty.  We  have  enough 
Vead  now ;  my  father  is  to  build  the  church." 

"  So  is  mine." 

"  Yes,  but  yours  is  only  a  day-laborer." 

"  That  is  all  the  same,  if  we  only  get  bread  by  it." 

"  Have  you  had  to  suffer  much  from  hunger,  Betty?  " 

"  Oh,  I  only  hope  the  worst  is  over !  " 

"What  did  you  have  for  dinner  to-day?"  inquired  her 
guest. 

"  That  I  mustn't  tell  you." 

"Why  not?" 

".  If  my  father  should  know  I  told  you,  he  would  " — 

"  I  should  be  likely  to  go  straight  and  tell  him !  "  observed 
Lizzie  in  an  injured  tone.  Betty  drew  from  her  pocket  a 
piece  of  raw  turnip. 

"Goodness!"  ejaculated  her  visitor;  "nothing  but 
that?" 

"  No,  not  for  the  last  two  days." 

"  And  you  mustn't  tell  anybody,  or  ask  for  anything  from 
any  one  ?  " 


LEONARD  AND  GEBTBUDE.  57 

"  No,  indeed !  If  he  knew  what  I  have  told  you,  I  should 
have  a  hard  time  of  it." 

"  Eat  your  bread  before  you  have  to  go  in,"  advised  her 
friend  prudently. 

Betty  was  not  slow  to  follow  this  counsel,  but  had  no 
sooner  taken  a  bite  than  the  pious  Marx  opened  the  door, 
and  said :  "  What  are  you  eating,  my  child?  " 

The  unfortunate  girl  gulped  down  the  unchewed  mouthful,  ., 
and  answered:  "  Nothing,  father." 

"Nothing?  Just  you  wait! — And,  Lizzie,  it  is  no  favor 
to  me  to  give  my  children  bread  behind  my  back,  so 
that  they  shall  tell  such  outrageous  lies  about  what  we  eat 
and  drink  in  the  house.  — You  wretched  Betty !  Didn't  we 
have  an  omelette  for  dinner  ?  " 

Lizzie,  at  this  juncture,  hastened  away  as  rapidly  as  she 
had  come  deliberately,  while  the  affectionate  father  seized 
his  daughter  by  the  arm,  and  dragged  her  into  the  house, 
whence  Lizzie  heard  cries  issuing  long  after  she  had  left  it 
far  behind. 

Annie  found  Harry  at  his  door,  and  gave  him  her  piece  of 
bread  without  further  adventures. 

Little  Jonas  crept  around  Michael's  house,  until  Bobby 
Baw  him,  and  came  out.  "What  are  you  after,  Jonas?" 
he  cried. 

"  I  want  to  have  some  fun." 

"  All  right,  come  on !  " 

"  Will  you  do  just  as  I  say,  Bobby?  If  you  will,  we  shall 
have  lots  of  fun." 

"  Well,  then,  what  shall  we  do?  " 

"  You  must  open  your  mouth  and  shut  your  eyes." 

"  Yes,  and  then  you'll  put  something  dirty  in  my  mouth." 

"  No,  Bobby,  I  won't,  — on  my  honor !  " 

"Well,  then.  But  look  out  and  don't  cheat  me!"  — 
opening  his  mouth  and  half  shutting  his  eyes. 


58  LEONARD   AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  Shut  your  eyes  tight,  or  it's  no  fair !  " 

The  little  fellow  obeyed,  and  Jonas  quickly  put  the  bread 
between  his  teeth,  and  ran  away. 

"  This  is  fun  !  "  said  Bobby,  sitting  down  on  the  door-step 
to  enjoy  the  feast. 

<  His  father  Michael  had  observed  the  children's  play  from 
the  window,  and  recognized  Leonard's  little  Jonas.  His 
heart  smote  him  as  he  thought  of  the  treacherous  part  he 
had  been  about  to  play  towards  the  mason  ;  and  he  resolved 
upon  the  spot  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  the  evil 
designs  of  the  Bailiff. 


LBONAED  AND  GERTRUDE.  59 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  BAILIFF   GROWS   STILL  MORE  ANGRT. 

LEONARD  was  awakened  the  next  morning  by  a  voice  out- 
side his  window.  It  was  Flink,  the  armed  servant  from  the 
Castle,  with  orders  that  the  mason  should  have  the  men 
begin  to  break  the  stones  that  morning.  Leonard  remem- 
bered he  had  heard  something  about  the  workmen  going  to 
the  Castle  to  thank  Arner,  but  hoped  it  was  early  enough  to 
anticipate  this  manoeuvre.  To  his  annoyance,  however,  he 
found  that  the  men  had  started  half  an  hour  ago.  Flink 
hastened  to  a  high  hill,  commanding  the  road ;  but  although 
he  shouted  until  he  was  hoarse,  it  was  of  no  avail,  and  the 
dimly  discernible  figures  had  soon  vanished  hi  the  distance. 
The  Bailiff,  however,  who  had  started  later  than  the  others, 
heard  the  cries,  and  turned  back  to  ascertain  their  cause. 
Great  was  his  vexation  when  Flink  informed  him  that  in 
consequence  of  a  severe  headache  the  night  before,  he  had 
delayed  the  delivery  of  his  message  until  morning.  "  You 
cursed  scoundrel!  what  kind  of  a  trick  do  you  call  that?" 
thundered  the  Bailiff. 

"  It  may  not  be  so  bad,  after  all,"  returned  the  man. 
"  How  the  Devil  was  I  to  know  that  the  fellows  would  all 
go  capering  out  of  the  village  before  daybreak?  "Was  it  by 
your  orders  ?  " 

**  Yes,  you  dog,  it  was.  And  now  I  suppose  I  shall  have 
to  pay  for  your  fault !  " 

"  I  shall  not  have  any  too  easy  a  time  of  it  myself,"  said 
Flink  ruefully. 


60  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

The  Bailiff  advised  the  unlucky  messenger  to  throw  him- 
self  on  Leonard's  mercy,  and  beg  the  mason  to  tell  Arner  he 
had  received  the  message  on  Sunday,  but  that  as  it  was 
a  holiday,  he  had  put  off  telling  the  men  until  the  morrow. 
Flink  acted  on  this  suggestion,  and  the  good-natured  mason 
made  no  objection.  When  he  consulted  his  wife,  however, 
Gertrude  said :  "  I  am  afraid  of  everything  which  is  not 
straightforward.  If  Arner  asks  you  about  it,  you  must  tell 
him  the  truth ;  but  if,  as  is  probable,  no  one  inquires  about 
the  matter,  you  can  let  it  rest  as  they  wish,  since  it  will 
injure  nobody."  And  thus  it  was  settled. 

Meanwhile,  the  workmen  reached  the  Castle,  and  were  at 
once  admitted  to  the  presence  of  Arner,  who  asked  them 
kindly  what  they  wanted.  When  they  had  managed  to  stam- 
mer their  thanks,  Arner  inquired  at  whose  bidding  they  had 
come,  and  on  learning  the  truth,  dismissed  them,  saying : 
"  This  has  occurred  contrary  to  my  wishes.  But  go  now,  in 
God's  name,  and  if  you  are  faithful  and  industrious,  I  shall 
be  glad  if  the  work  benefits  any  of  you.  Tell  your  master 
to  begin  breaking  the  stones  to-day." 

On  their  way  back,  the  men  talked  of  the  kindness  of 
Arner,  which  they  could  not  but  contrast  unfavorably  with 
the  Bailiff's  treatment.  "  What  a  mean  trick  it  was,  to  lead 
us  such  a  dance  without  orders,  and  then  leave  us  in  the 
lurch ! "  cried  one. 

"  That  is  his  way,"  remarked  another. 

"  It's  a  mean  way,  then,"  responded  Leuk,  the  man  who 
had  first  spoken. 

"  Yes,  but  the  Bailiff  is  a  worthy  man,  and  the  like  of  us 
can't  always  see  all  sides  of  the  question  !  "  said  Kriecher  as 
loud  as  he  could,  —  for  he  saw  the  Bailiff  stealthily  advan- 
cing toward  them  in  the  hollow. 

"  The  Devil !  You  can  praise  him,  if  you  like,  but  I  shall 
praise  Arner ! "  shouted  Leuk,  who  did  not  observe  Hummel's 
approach. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  61 

The  Bailiff  now  appeared  from  the  neighboring  hedge,  and 
after  greeting  his  neighbors,  asked  Leuk  why  he  was  sound- 
ing Arner's  praises  so  loudly. 

"  "We  were  only  saying  how  good-natured  and  kind  he 
was,"  answered  the  man  in  some  confusion. 

"  But  that  was  not  all,"  said  the  Bailiff. 

"  All  that  I  know  of,"  returned  Leuk  doggedly. 

"  It  isn't  very  nice  in  a  man  to  deny  his  words  in  that  way, 
Leuk,"  remarked  Kriecher.  "  And  he  was  not  the  only  one, 
Sir  Bailiff.  Several  of  them  were  complaining  that  you  had 
left  them  in  the  lurch,  but  I  told  them  that  such  as  we  couldn't 
expect  to  know  your  Honor's  reasons.  Then  Leuk  told  me 
I  might  praise  the  Bailiff,  but  he  would  praise  Arner." 

The  men  here  began  to  shake  their  heads,  and  murmur 
against  Kriecher,  so  that  the  Bailiff,  pressing  the  hand  of  his 
hypocritical  ally,  made  haste  to  change  the  subject,  and 
asked  whether  Arner  had  been  angry.  "  Not  at  all,"  re- 
plied the  men;  "he  only  told  us  to  hurry  home  and  begin 
our  work  without  delay." 

"Tell  the  mason  so,  and  that  the  misunderstanding  is  of 
no  consequence,"  said  Hummel,  as  he  left  them  and  con- 
tinued on  his  way. 

When  the  Bailiff  reached  the  Castle,  Arner  kept  him  wait- 
ing for  some  tune  ;  and  when  the  nobleman  finally  appeared, 
he  asked  Hummel  in  some  displeasure  why  he  had  taken  it 
upon  himself  to  counsel  the  masons  to  come  to  the  Castle 
that  morning. 

"  I  thought  it  my  duty,"  replied  the  Bailiff,  "  to  advise  the 
men  to  thank  your  Grace  for  the  work." 

"  Your  duty  is  to  do  what  is  useful  to  me  and  my  people, 
and  what  I  bid  you ;  but  not  to  send  poor  men  on  a  wild- 
goose  chase,  and  teach  them  to  make  fine  speeches,  which  are 
as  useless  as  they  are  undesired.  —  But  I  sent  for  you  in 
order  to  tell  you  that  I  will  no  longer  suffer  the  offices  of 


62  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

bailiff  and  tavern-keeper  to  be  united  in  the  same  person.  I 
will  give  you  your  choice  between  the  two,  and  desire  to 
know  your  decision  a  fortnight  from  to-day." 

The  Bailiff  was  so  thunderstruck  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
announcement,  that  he  was  hardly  able  to  stammer  his  hum- 
ble thanks  for  the  two  weeks'  respite,  and  left  his  chief  soon 
after  in  a  transport  of  anger  and  despair.  He  stopped  under 
the  old  nut-tree  by  the  road,  to  take  breath  and  collect  his 
scattered  senses.  He  was  so  weak  that  he  could  hardly 
think,  and  taking  his  brandy-bottle  from  his  pocket,  he 
gulped  down  a  half  pint  at  one  draught.  It  revived  his 
strength  immediately,  and  all  his  old  pride  returned,  so  that 
he  responded  to  the  greetings  of  the  passers-by  with  & 
haughty  nod,  and  carried  his  knotted  stick  with  a  command- 
ing air,  as  if  his  power  were  greater  in  the  land  than  that  of 
ten  Arners. 

On  his  way  home,  the  Bailiff  stopped  at  the  tavern  in 
Hirzau,  and  drank  and  boasted  among  the  assembled  peas- 
ants. The  old  forester  from  the  Castle  stopped,  in  passing, 
for  a  glass,  and  Hummel,  who  dreaded  being  alone,  proposed 
that  they  should  walk  back  to  the  village  together.  On  the 
way  he  inquired  of  his  companion  whether  there  were  ghosts 
in  the  forest  at  night.  "  Why  do  you  ask  me  that?  "  queried 
the  forester. 

"  Because  I  want  to  know." 

"  You  are  an  old  fool !  The  idea  of  being  Bailiff  thirty 
years,  and  then  asking  such  absurd  questions  !  —  But  I'll  help 
you  out  of  your  uncertainty,  if  you'll  pay  me  with  a  bottle  of 
wine." 

"  Two,  if  you  can  succeed  in  convincing  me !  " 

"  Well,  I  have  been  forester  forty  years,  and  ever  since  I 
was  four  years  old,  I  was  brought  up  in  the  woods  by  my 
father.  As  it  would  not  do  for  a  forester  to  believe  in  ghosts 
or  hobgoblins,  he  used  to  take  me  into  the  forest  on  dark 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  63 

nights,  and  then  whenever  he  saw  a  light  or  heard  a  noise, 
we  hurried  after  it,  over  stumps  and  ditches,  through  swamps 
and  bushes.  It  always  turned  out  to  be  tramps  or  thieves, 
who  took  to  their  heels  when  he  shouted  :  '  Away,  rogues  ! ' 
And  sometimes  the  wild  beasts  make  queer  noises,  and  the 
rotten  tree-trunks  give  out  light.  That  is  all  I  have  ever 
found  in  the  forest ;  but  it  is  greatly  to  my  advantage  for  my 
neighbors  to  believe  in  ghosts,  so  that  I  need  not  turn  out  on 
dark  nights  after  the  rascals." 

Here  the  forester  entered  a  bj'-path  which  led  into  the 
wood,  while  the  Bailiff  went  on,  busied  with  his  own  reflec- 
tions, until  he  reached  the  confines  of  the  village,  where  he 
beheld  the  masons  at  work  on  the  great  stones  which  lay 
about  on  the  plain.  "  I  cannot  go  by  that  accursed  Joseph 
in  silence  ! "  he  exclaimed  to  himself.  He  sat  down  upon  the 
hillside,  on  which  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were  falling, 
and  waited  until  the  village  bell  rang  out  six  o'clock  ;  then  the 
masons  started  on  their  homeward  way,  and  the  Bailiff  fol- 
lowed them. 


64  LEONAED  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XH. 

RATS  DESERT    A    SINKING    SHIP,   AND  TELE    DEVIL    APPEARS  TO 
THE   INHABITANTS    OP   BONNAL. 

AFTER  Hans  Wu'st  had  parted  from  the  Bailiff  on  Saturday 
night,  he  was  so  overcome  with  remorse  for  his  perjury  that 
he  was  almost  beside  himself.  He  rolled  on  the  floor,  tore 
his  hair,  and  struck  himself  violently  with  his  fists.  The  fol- 
lowing day  he  could  neither  eat  nor  drink,  but  wandered 
about,  groaning  in  agony  of  spirit,  until  at  night,  exhausted 
by  his  anguish,  he  at  last  fell  asleep.  He  awoke  with  the 
resolution  not  to  bear  his  distress  longer  alone,  and  making 
a  bundle  of  his  Sunday  coat  and  whatever  else  he  could  find, 
he  went  to  the  pastor's  house.  The  good  man  noticed  the 
wild  looks  of  his  approaching  guest,  and  going  to  meet  him, 
asked  what  was  the  matter,  inviting  him  so  kindly  into  his 
room,  that  poor  Wu'st  was  reassured,  and  made  a  clean 
breast  of  the  whole  matter.  The  pastor  assured  him  of  for- 
giveness from  above,  and  persuaded  him  that  the  only  right 
and  wise  course  was  to  confess  all  to  Arner.  The  poor 
wretch  was  melted  to  tears  by  the  parson's  comforting  words, 
and  finally  took  courage  to  make  a  request.  He  told  his 
counsellor  of  the  eight  florins  which  he  owed  the  Bailiff,  and 
tendered  his  bundle  of  belongings  as  security  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  money.  The  good  pastor  immediately  offered  him 
the  sum  as  a  loan,  insisting  that  the  Sunday  coat  should  be 
carried  home  again.  Once  more  light  at  heart,  Wu'st  hastened 
to  the  Bailiff's  house,  and  as  the  latter  was  not  at  home,  gave 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  65 

the  money  to  his  wife,  who  received  and  counted  it  in  no 
email  wonder  and  perturbation  of  spirit. 

Before  night,  another  of  the  Bailiff's  tools  had  deserted 
him.  On  this,  the  first  day  the  workmen  were  together, 
Leonard  won  the  hearts  of  all  the  men  by  his  patience  with 
their  stupidity,  and  his  good-natured  zeal  in  undertaking  the 
hardest  and  most  disagreeable  parts  of  the  labor  himself. 
Michael,  while  working  by  the  master's  side  the  whole  after- 
noon, strengthened  himself  in  the  resolution  he  had  made 
the  evening  before,  and  at  night  proposed  to  accompany 
Leonard  home,  saying  that  he  had  something  to  tell  him. 
Arrived  at  the  mason's  cottage,  he  related  the  rogue's  busi- 
ness in  which  the  Bailiff  had  sought  to  enlist  him,  and  con- 
fessed that  he  had  already  received  two  thalers  in  advance 
on  the  bargain.  Leonard  and  Gertrude  were  overcome  with 
horror.  He  exhorted  them  to  make  their  minds  easy  on  his 
account,  and  proposed  to  lay  a  trap  for  the  Bailiff,  by  pre- 
tending to  be  true  to  his  agreement,  and  on  the  next  day 
transferring  some  of  the  tools  to  the  Bailiff's  house,  which 
should  then  be  searched  by  a  warrant  from  Arner.  But  the 
mason  and  his  wife  would  not  consent  to  this.  "  We  ought 
to  thank  God,"  said  Gertrude,  "  that  we  are  delivered  from 
the  danger  which  threatened  us ;  but  it  is  not  for  us  to  take 
vengeance  on  our  enemies. *  Michael  owned  that  she  was 
right,  but  confessed  that  he  had  already  spent  a  half  thaler 
of  his  bribe,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  restore 
the  whole  amount  at  present.  Leonard  gladly  advanced  the 
money  out  of  Michael's  future  wages,  and  the  latter  left  his 
new  friends,  bent  on  freeing  himself  at  once  from  all  obliga- 
tion to  Hummel. 

When  the  Bailiff  reached  home,  he  found  his  wife  atone, 
BO  that  he  could  give  vent  at  last  to  the  accumulated  rage  of 
the  day.  The  terrified  woman  tried  in  vain  to  check  his 
violence.  "  Haven't  I  reason  to  be  angry?"  he  burst  forth- 


66  LEONABD  AND  GEKTRTJDE. 

"  Arner  is  going  to  take  away  either  my  license  or  my 
Bailiff's  mantle  in  a  fortnight." 

"  I  know  it,"  she  said ;  "  although  I  did  not  learn  it  until 
this  evening.  The  whole  village  knows  it  by  this  time. 
And  something  else  has  happened, — Hans  Wust  has  brought 
back  the  eight  florins." 

Thunderstruck  at  these  words,  the  Bailiff  gazed  stupidly 
at  his  wife  without  speaking.  Finally  he  asked  her  for  the 
money,  and  she  brought  it  in  a  broken  beer-glass.  He 
looked  at  it  without  counting  it,  and  observed:  "This 
doesn't  come  from  the  Castle,  for  Arner  never  gives  such 
coin  as  this.  If  I  had  been  here,  I  would  have  found  out 
where  it  came  from.  —  Bring  me  wine,  wife  !  " 

She  placed  the  tankard  before  him,  and  pacing  the  room, 
he  muttered  between  the  draughts  :  "  I  must  ruin  the  mason 
first  of  all.  Michael  must  ruin  him,  if  it  costs  me  a  hundred 
thalers ! " 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door.  "  Who 
comes  so  late  ?  "  he  cried  with  a  start. 

"Open  the  door,  Bailiff!"  called  Michael's  voi".-  from 
without. 

Hummel  hastened  to  bid  his  visitor  welcome.  "What 
good  news  do  you  bring,  Michael  ?  " 

"  Not  much.     I  only  wanted  to  tell  you  "  — 

"  Don't  stand  there  in  the  street !     Come  in ! " 

"  No,  Bailiff,  I  must  go  home.  I  only  wanted  to  say  that 
I  have  repented  of  our  bargain." 

"  Repented?  Nonsense !  No,  Michael,  that  must  not  be. 
If  two  thalers  are  not  enough,  I'll  give  you  more.  Only 
come  in ! " 

"  No,  Bailiff,  on  no  account.  There  are  your  two 
thalers." 

"  I  swear  I  will  not  take  them  from  you !  Don't  be  such 
a  fool,  but  come  in  1 " 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  67 

Michael  was  forced  to  follow  him,  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
entered  the  room,  he  laid  the  money  on  the  table,  and  has- 
tened away. 

The  Bailiff  stood  awhile  speechless  ;  his  eyes  rolled  wildly, 
and  he  foamed  at  the  mouth.  At  length  he  burst  out: 
"  "Wife,  bring  me  brandy  !  It  must  be,  —  I  am  going !  " 

"Oh,  where  are  you  going  this  pitch-dark  night?"  she 
cried  in  terror. 

"  I  am  going  to  dig  up  the  stone,  —  give  me  the  bottle  !  " 
—  and  deaf  to  all  entreaties,  he  seized  pickaxe,  shovel  and 
mattock,  and  hastened  up  the  mountain  in  the  darkness. 
Although  emboldened  by  rage  and  brandy,  yet  whenever  he 
saw  a  bit  of  incandescent  wood,  or  heard  the  rustling  of  a 
hare  near  his  path,  he  halted  trembling  for  a  moment,  and 
then  rushed  madly  on  again  ;  until  at  length  he  reached  the 
solitary  mile-stone,  where  he  at  once  set  vigorously  to  work. 
Ere  long,  he  was  startled  by  a  noise,  and  looking  up,  saw  a 
black  figure  emerge  from  the  bushes  and  come  toward  him. 
Light  shone  around  the  apparition,  and  fire  burned  upon  its 
head.  "  It  is  the  Devil  incarnate  !  "  gasped  the  Bailiff,  and 
with  horrible  cries  he  took  to  his  heels,  leaving  tools,  hat 
and  brandy-bottle  behind  him.  As  he  ran  blindly  on,  a 
most  unearthly  sound  of  rattling  and  clanking  continually 
pursued  him,  and  he  heard  ever  and  anon  a  hollow  voice, 
which  seemed  to  curdle  the  blood  in  his  veins,  crying  behind 
Mm:  "Oh!  Ah!  Uh!  Hummel!  Wait,  Bailiff,  you  are 
mine ! " 

The  Bailiff  rushed  on  toward  the  village,  shouting  at  the 
top  of  his  lungs  :  ' '  Murder  !  Help !  Watchman !  The  Devil 
is  after  me  !  "  The  watchman  heard  the  cries  and  commo- 
tion, and  was  so  terrified  that  he  tapped  on  the  neighbors' 
windows  to  summon  them  to  his  aid.  When  ten  or  a  dozen 
w«re  assembled,  they  proposed  to  sally  forth  with  torches 
and  fire-arms,  in  the  direction  of  the  noise,  taking  new 


68  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

bread,  a  Testament  and  a  Psalter  in  their  pockets,  to  coun- 
teract the  power  of  the  Devil.  The  men  stopped  first  at  the 
Bailiff's  house,  to  be  certain  that  he  was  actually  away  from 
home,  and  were  joined  by  his  wife,  who  was  almost  beside 
herself  with  anxiety. 

As  they  approached  the  scene  of  the  hubbub,  the  hollow 
voice  and  the  clanking  suddenly  ceased.  Kunz,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  the  foremost  of  the  band,  now  came  up  and 
seized  the  howling  Bailiff  roughly  by  the  arm.  "  O  Devil, 
spare  me  !  "  screamed  poor  Hummel,  still  too  much  terrified 
to  use  his  eyes  or  ears.  The  rest  of  the  men  hung  back,  and 
looked  cautiously  about  with  their  torches,  to  see  if  any  sign 
of  the  Devil  remained  ;  but  Kunz  boldly  declared  it  to  be  his 
opinion  that  a  poacher  or  a  woodman  had  made  game  of  them 
all,  since  at  his  approach  he  had  heard  a  man  run  up  hill. 
"  And  what  is  to  prevent  the  Devil  from  running  so  as  to  be 
heard?"  asked  the  men,  while  all  agreed  that  it  was  no 
human  voice  which  had  so  alarmed  them,  and  that  a  whole 
wagon-load  of  iron  could  not  make  as  fearful  a  rattling  as 
the  sound  which  had  reached  their  ears. 

The  Bailiff  heard  none  of  the  conversation,  but  when  he 
reached  home,  he  begged  the  neighbors  not  to  leave  him,  and 
they  willingly  consented  to  remain  in  the  tavern. 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  69 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE   CULPRIT   CONFESSES    AND   RECEIVES    HIS    SENTENCE. 

IN  the  mean  time,  the  alarm  had  spread  through  the  vil- 
lage, and  the  pastor,  among  others,  received  accounts  of  the 
awful  catastrophe.  Thinking  he  might  turn  the  Bailiff's 
fright  to  good  account,  he  betook  himself  to  the  tavern,  and 
besought  the  neighbors,  who  rose  and  saluted  him  respect- 
fully at  his  entrance,  to  leave  him  alone  with  Hummel  for  a 
while.  As  they  departed,  the  good  man  cautioned  them  not 
to  be  in  too  great  haste  to  talk  about  the  affair,  since  at 
present  it  was  impossible  for  any  one  to  judge  precisely  what 
had  really  happened.  But  the  men  only  grumbled  outside 
the  door:  "He  is  always  an  old  fool,  and  doesn't  believe 
anything !  " 

When  the  pastor  found  himself  alone  with  the  Bailiff,  he 
questioned  him  kindly  about  his  strange  adventure.  "  I  am 
a  poor  unlucky  wretch,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  Satan  himself 
tried  to  catch  me." 

"  Did  you  actually  see  anybody?  "  inquired  the  clerg}-man. 

"Yes,  I  saw  him  running  toward  me.  He  was  a  great 
black  man  with  fire  on  his  headt  and  he  followed  me  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountain." 

"Well,  Bailiff,  we  will  let  the  matter  rest  there,  as  it  is 
impossible  to  explain  it.  And  it  is  of  no  great  consequence, 
after  all,  when  you  consider  that  there  is  an  eternity,  in 
which  the  unrighteous  will  surely  fall  into  his  clutches.  It 
is  this  danger  which,  considering  your  age  and  your  way  of 
life,  ought  to  cause  you  anxiety." 


70  LEONABD  AND   GEBTRUDE. 

The  poor  Bailiff  was  wrought  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  terroi 
that  he  besought  the  pastor  piteously  to  tell  him  how  he 
might  escape  the  Devil's  power,  and  regain  the  grace  of 
God.  The  good  man  counselled  him  to  repentance,  and 
restitution  of  his  unlawfully  acquired  property.  Hummel 
was  so  thoroughly  cowed  that  he  promised  to  restore  Rudy's 
meadow,  and  on  being  questioned,  confessed  for  what  pur- 
pose he  had  ascended  the  mountain  the  previous  night. 
After  some  further  counsel  on  the  part  of  his  adviser,  the 
unhappy  man  consented  to  throw  himself  on  Arner's  mercy, 
and  confess  everything. 

After  praying  and  talking  awhile  with  the  Bailiff,  the 
pastor  went  home  and  wrote  to  Arner,  telling  him  of  Hans 
Wu'st's  disclosure  of  the  day  before,  and  its  unexpected  con- 
firmation through  the  Bailiff's  confession.  Before  this  letter 
reached  its  destination,  however,  Arner  had  alread\T  become 
acquainted  with  the  events  of  the  preceding  night  from 
another  source,  as  we  shall  learn  presently.  He  wrote  the 
pastor  that  he  would  come  to  Bonnal  that  very  day,  to  hold 
a  meeting  about  the  boundary-stone,  adding  that  it  was  his 
intention  at  the  same  time  to  enact  a.  little  comedy  before  the 
peasants,  to  cure  them  of  their  superstition.  He  would  also 
bring  his  wife  and  children,  he  said,  as  they  were  anxious  to 
be  present  at  the  comedy. 

When  he  had  finished  this  letter,  Arner  went  to  his  stable, 
and  from  his  fifty  cows  chose  out  the  finest  for  Hubel-Rudy, 
and  ordered  it  to  be  led  to  Bonnal  to  await  his  pleasure. 
Then  he  sat  down  and  meditated  awhile,  earnestly  and 
sadly,  on  the  sentence  he  should  pass  on  the  Bailiff.  After 
an  early  dinner,  he  set  forth  with  his  wife  and  children  in 
the  direction  of  the  village.  As  the}r  passed  the  laborers, 
who  were  busied  in  breaking  stones,  the  nobleman  descended 
from  the  carriage  to  inspect  their  work,  and  praised  the 
good  order  and  regularity  which  prevailed,  in  a  way  which 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  71 

convinced  even  the  dullest  among  them  that  not  the  slightest 
neglect  or  irregularity  would  have  escaped  his  notice. 

When  Arner  reached  the  pastor's  house,  he  sent  immedi- 
ately for  young  Meyer,  whom  he  destined  to  fill  the  now 
vacant  office  of  bailiff,  and  thus  addressed  him  :  "  Meyer,  I 
am  on  the  point  of  dismissing  my  Bailiff;  but  despite  his 
offences,  \  could  yet  wish  that  during  his  life-time  he  may 
continue  to  receive  some  portion  of  the  revenue  of  his  office. 
You.  "ire  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  if  I  make  you 
Bailiff,  I  suppose  you  would  be  willing  to  allow  the  old  man 
tme  hundred  florins  a  jrear  out  of  your  salary."  On  receiv- 
ing a  submissive  reply  in  the  affirmative,  Arner  continued : 
"  Now,  Meyer,  you  must  go  with  my  secretary  and  the  jus- 
tice Aebi  to  the  tavern,  and  seal  up  all  Hummel's  papers  and 
accounts.  You  will  have  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  that  none 
of  the  documents  are  secreted." 

While  the  three  men  were  fulfilling  this  order,  the  Bailiffs 
wife  approached  the  blackboard  with  a  wet  sponge.  Meyer 
stopped  her,  and  had  a  copy  made  of  the  following,  which 
was  written  on  the  board  in  chalk:  "Saturday,  the  18th, 
paid  to  Leonard's  man  Joseph,  three  thalers."  The  Bailiff 
and  his  wife  refused  at  first  to  give  any  explanation  regard- 
ing this  entry,  until  the  good  pastor  adjured  Hummel  not  to 
aggravate  the  mischief  by  concealment,  when  he  made  a 
clean  breast  of  the  matter. 

Arner  had  the  Bailiff,  Wu'st  and  Joseph  brought  to  the 
parsonage,  and  submitted  to  a  legal  examination.  When 
their  depositions  had  been  taken  down,  he  ordered  the  bells 
to  be  rung  to  summon  the  people  to  the  square  under  the 
linden-tree,  where  the  village  meetings  were  held.  Arner's 
wife  Theresa  and  the  pastor's  wife,  with  the  children  and 
servants  of  both  families,  took  up  their  position  in  the 
churchyard,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  square. 

Arner  first  ordered  the  prisoners  to  be  brought  forth,  and 
after  they  had  read  aloud  the  confessions  the}*  had  previ* 


72  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

ously  made,  he  bade  the  Bailiff  kneel  down  and  receive  his 
sentence,  which  he  pronounced  as  follows  :  "  Unhappy  man  ! 
It  grieves  me  to  the  heart  to  inflict  upon  3~ou,  in  your  old 
age,  the  punishment  which  necessarily  follows  misdeeds  like 
yours.  You  have  deserved  death,  not  because  Rudy's 
meadow  or  my  boundary -stone  are  worth  a  man's  life,  but 
because  a  career  of  perjury  and  robbery  can  bring  an 
unlimited  amount  of  danger  and  suffering  upon  a  whole 
community.  Yet  in  consideration  of  your  age,  and  of  the 
fact  that  a  part  of  your  offences  were  committed  against  me 
personally,  I  have  decided  to  spare  your  life.  Your  punish- 
ment shall  be  this :  to-day,  in  company  with  all  the  over- 
seers of  the  village,  and  whoever  wishes  to  go  beside,  you 
shall  be  carried  to  the  boundary-stone,  and  in  chains  restore 
everything  to  its  former  condition.  Then  you  shall  be 
brought  to  the  village  jail,  where  for  a  fortnight  the  pastor 
shall  visit  you  daily,  and  receive  from  you  a  full  account  ot 
your  past  career.  Two  weeks  from  Sunday  he  shall  relate 
from  the  pulpit  the  history  of  your  life,  with  your  domestic 
troubles,  your  hard-heartedness,  your  contempt  of  oaths, 
and  your  injustice  to  poor  and  rich  alike  ;  and  this  must  all 
be  confirmed  by  your  own  testimony.  With  this  I  would 
gladly  discharge  you ;  but  since  it  is  necessary,  where  there 
are  so  many  rude  and  unprincipled  people,  to  set  up  an 
example  and  a  warning,  I  must  add  one  more  penalty ;  to- 
morrow morning  the  executioner  shall  lead  you  under  the 
gallows  of  Bonnal,  and  there  bind  your  right  hand  to  a  stake, 
and  smear  the  first  three  fingers  with  an  indelible  black  dye. 
But  it  is  my  express  desire  that  no  one  shall  imbitter  this 
your  hour  of  suffering  by  mockery  or  laughter,  and  that  all 
shall  look  on  silently,  with  uncovered  heads." 

Arner  then  condemned  Hans  Wu'st  to  eight  days'  im- 
prisonment, while  Joseph,  as  a  stranger,  he  banished  from 
the  territory,  forbidding  him  to  return,  under  penalty  of 
being  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  73 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  GHOSTLY   COMEDY. 

i 

IT  was  now  time  for  Arner's  little  game  to  begin,  when  to 
his  surprise,  the  first  move  was  made  by  the  opposite  party. 
The  peasants  had  been  greatly  dissatisfied  with  the  incredu- 
lity their  pastor  had  manifested  the  night  before,  and  the 
good  man  had  also  become  obnoxious  to  the  large  land- 
owners, ever  since  he  had  announced  from  the  pulpit  that  it 
was  wrong  in  them  to  oppose  Arner's  project  of  dividing 
a  certain  strip  of  meadow-land  among  the  poor.  Accord- 
ingly, a  number  of  the  citizens  had  held  a  council  that  morn- 
ing, and  as  a  result  of  their  deliberations,  the  hypocrite  and 
miser  Hartknopf  now  arose  in  the  assembly,  and  began : 
"  Gracious  Sir,  is  it  allowable  to  bring  forward  an  affair  of 
conscience,  in  the  name  of  the  peasants  of  your  faithful 
community  of  Bonnal  ?  " 

"  I  am  ready  to  hear,"  Arner  replied.     "  Who  are  you? " 

"I  am  Jacob  Christopher  Frederic  Hartknopf,  church- 
warden and  elder  of  Bonnal,  fifty-six  years  of  age.  And 
the  overseers  of  the  village  have  requested  me,  in  the  name 
of  the  community,  to  lay  a  statement  before  you,  as  they 
are  not  accustomed  to  speaking  upon  spiritual  subjects." 

"Well,  Mr  Hartknopf,  to  the  point!"  cried  Arner 
impatiently. 

"Gracious  Sir,  we  have  inherited  from  our  ancestors  a 
belief  that  the  Devil  and  his  spirits  often  appear  to  men ; 
ind  since  now  it  has  become  evident  that  our  old  belief  in 
spirits  is  true  (as  none  of  us  ever  doubted  for  a  moment), 


74  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

we  felt  we  must  take  the  liberty  of  informing  our  gracious 
master  that  our  reverend  pastor,  God  forgive  him,  is  not  of 
this  belief.  We  know  very  well  that  your  Grace  is  of  the 
same  opinion  as  the  pastor  regarding  spirits ;  but  since  in 
matters  of  belief  we  must  obey  God  rather  than  man,  we 
hope  your  Grace  will  pardon  us,  if  we  humbly  beg  that 
in  future  our  reverend  pastor  may  teach  our  children  from 
the  stand-point  of  our  old  belief,  and  not  talk  any  more 
against  spirits,  in  which  we  are  bound  to  believe.  And  we 
would  request  that  a  Sunday  may  be  set  apart  before  long, 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  we  may  do  penance  in 
sackcloth  and  ashes  for  the  increasing  sin  of  disbelief  in 
spirits." 

Arner  and  the  parson  could  hardly  repress  their  laughter 
until  he  had  finished,  but  many  of  the  peasants  sprang  to 
their  feet,  crying:  "Gracious  master!  "We  all  agree  with 
what  the  church-warden  has  said." 

Arner,  however,  put  on  his  hat,  and  looking  seriously 
around,  said :  "  Neighbors,  there  was  no  need  of  any  orator 
for  such  folly  as  this !  The  whole  affair,  with  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Devil,  rests  upon  error,  and  you  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  insult  your  wise  and  excellent  pastor  through 
such  a  wretched  fellow  as  your  church-warden  !  " 

11  But  it  is  plain  that  the  Devil  appeared  to  the  Bailiff 
last  night,  and  tried  to  catch  him,"  broke  in  the  peasants 
eagerly. 

"  You  are  laboring  under  a  mistake,  neighbors,"  returned 
Arner;  "and  before  supper- time  you  will  blush  for  your 
Stupidity." 

"  But,  Sir,"  they  cried,  "  we  all  heard  the  dreadful  voice 
of  Satan  himself !  " 

"  I  know  very  well  that  you  heard  shouts,  accompanied  by 
a  bellowing  and  clanking.  But  how  can  you  say  certainly 
that  it  was  the  Devil  ?  Might  it  not  have  been  that  one  or 
more  men  took  a  f ancy  to  frighten  the  Bailiff  ?  " 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  75 

This  suggestion  was  indignantly  repelled.  "  Not  ten,  no, 
not  twenty  men  all  together,  could  have  made  such  a  noise  \ 
and  if  you  had  been  there,  gracious  Sir,  it  never  would  have 
entered  your  head  that  it  could  be  men  at  all." 

"  But,  neighbors,"  persisted  Arner ;  "  darkness  is  decep- 
tive, and  when  we  are  once  startled,  we  see  and  hear  every- 
thing double.  I  am  quite  certain  that  you  are  mistaken." 

"  No,  gracious  Sir,  there  is  no  possibility  of  that." 

"  I  am  almost  inclined  to  think  I  could  convince  you  of 
your  error." 

"  Your  Grace  is  joking !  "  they  all  cried. 

"  No,  I  am  not  joking.  If  you  will  agree  to  divide  the 
common,  I  will  keep  my  word,  and  convince  you  that  all  the 
roaring  and  rattling  was  made  by  one  man.  Will  you  take 
the  risk?" 

"Yes,  Sir,  that  we  will!  If  you  will  do  what  you  say, 
and  prove  to  our  entire  satisfaction  that  it  was  one  man  who 
made  all  the  noise  we  heard  last  night,  we  will  agree  to 
divide  the  common ;  but  otherwise  not." 

Arner  hereupon  drew  a  large  white  handkerchief  ostenta- 
tiously from  his  pocket,  and  a  few  moments  after,  amid  a 
peal  of  laughter  from  the  churchyard,  a  tall  stranger  was 
seen  approaching,  armed  with  a  dark  basket  and  a  lantern. 
"  What  fool  is  this,  who  walks  about  in  broad  daylight  with 
a  lighted  lantern  ?  "  asked  the  peasants. 

"  It  is  my  poulterer  from  Arnheim,"  replied  Arner.  "  Ho, 
Christopher !  What  do  you  want  here  ?  " 

u  I  have  a  story  to  tell,  gracious  Sir." 

On  receiving  permission  to  proceed,  the  poulterer  set  down 
his  basket,  and  began  as  follows:  "  Gracious  Sir,  reverend 
pastor,  and  neighbors !  Here  are  the  pickaxe,  the  mattock, 
the  spade,  the  brandy-bottle,  the  tobacco-pipe  and  the  felt 
hat  of  your  worthy  Bailiff,  which  he  left  near  the  boundary- 
stone  in  his  flight,  when  I  drove  him  away  from  his  fine  job 
early  this  morning,  and  chased  him  down  the  mountain." 


76  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

"  And  are  we  to  believe,"  asked  the  peasants,  "  that  it 
was  you  who  made  all  the  noise  ?  Master,  this  proof  is  not 
sufficient ;  we  ask  for  another." 

"  Just  wait  a  moment !  "  said  Arner.  "  He  has  a  lantern 
with  him,  and  perhaps  will  be  able  to  enlighten  you  a  little. 
Only  please  be  silent  until  he  has  done  speaking." 

The  men  obeyed,  and  the  poulterer  continued :  "  Why  are 
you  not  civil  enough  to  let  me  finish  ?  If  you  don't  listen  to 
me,  you  will  never  hear  the  last  of  it,  for  there  is  not  a  syl- 
lable of  truth  in  the  Devil's  having  appeared  to  the  Bailiff. 
It  was  I  who  frightened  him,  —  I,  the  poulterer,  just  as  I 
stand  here,  with  this  basket,  with  a  new  black  goat-skin 
stretched  over  it,  because  it  rained  yesterday  morning. 
And  I  had  this  lantern  hung  to  my  basket  in  front,  as  you 
saw  it  just  now.  I  was  in  the  tavern  at  Hirzau  at  eleven 
last  night,  as  I  can  call  the  landlord  and  ten  other  men  to 
witness.  As  I  was  coming  over  the  mountain,  it  struck 
twelve  in  Bonnal,  and  just  then  I  heard  the  Bailiff  cursing 
and  working,  not  a  stone's  throw  from  the  road.  I  recog- 
nized his  voice,  and  wondered  what  he  could  be  doing  there 
at  midnight,  so  I  followed  the  sound.  But  I  think  the  worthy 
Bailiff  must  have  drunk  a  little  more  than  was  necessary,  for 
he  took  me,  poor  sinner  that  I  am,  for  the  Devil  himself. 
And  when  I  saw  that  he  was  on  the  point  of  moving  a 
boundary  in  our  master's  forest,  I  thought  to  myself  I'd 
give  him  a  fine  fright.  So  I  tied  his  tools  and  my  stick  all 
together,  and  dragged  them  over  the  rockj^  road  behind  me, 
shouting  at  the  top  of  my  lungs  :  '  Oh !  Ah  !  Uh !  Bailiff ! 
You  are  mine  ! '  And  I  was  not  more  than  a  stone's  throw 
from  you,  when  you  crept  slowly  along  with  your  torches  to 
the  Bailiff's  assistance.  But  I  didn't  want  to  frighten  inno- 
cent men  with  my  noise,  so  I  turned  and  ran  up  the  moun- 
tain to  my  basket,  and  then  went  home.  This  morning  at 
six  o'clock  I  went  to  the  Castle  and  told  my  master  the 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  77 

story.  Now,  neighbors,  how  do  you  think  I  could  get  hold 
of  this  story  and  these  tools  before  daylight  this  morning,  if 
what  I  am  telling  you  were  not  true?  " 

Some  of  the  peasants  scratched  then*  heads,  and  others 
laughed. 

"  If  such  a  thing  should  happen  again,  neighbors,"  added 
the  poulterer,  "  I  have  a  bit  of  friendly  advice  to  give  the 
watchman,  as  well  as  the  honorable  community  at  large,  — 
let  loose  the  biggest  dog  in  the  village,  and  you  will  soon 
find  the  Devil  1 " 


78  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   FORGIVING   GENEROSITY    OP   A   POOR   MAN,    AND   THE 
|  PUNISHMENT   OP   A   MALEFACTOR. 

THERE  was  a  general  murmur  on  every  side  when  the 
poulterer  had  finished  speaking.  The  peasants  were  vexed 
at  their  stupidity,  the  rich  landowners  cursed  their  folly  in 
promising  to  divide  the  common,  while  the  poor  rejoiced  at 
the  triumph  of  Arner  and  their  reverend  pastor.  Arner  dis- 
missed the  people  after  a  few  friendly  words,  and  accom- 
panied the  clergyman  to  the  parsonage,  where  he  warmly 
praised  the  good  man  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties, 
and  added  a  more  substantial  token  of  appreciation,  in  the 
shape  of  a  deed  of  gift  of  a  small  tithe-field  in  the  village. 
Theresa,  who  stood  by  her  husband's  side,  placed  in  the 
pastor's  hands  a  beautiful  bouquet  of  flowers,  which  his  wife 
discovered  the  following  morning  was  bound  together  by  a 
string  of  pearls. 

In  obedience  to  Arner 's  summons,  Hubel-Rudy  now  pre- 
sented himself.  With  outstretched  hand,  the  nobleman  said  : 
"Rudy,  my  grandfather •  did  you  a  wrong  in  taking  }~our 
meadow  from  you.  But  he  was  himself  deceived,  and  you 
must  try  to  forgive  him." 

"  Ah,  Sir,"  answered  the  unfortunate  man,  "  I  know  well 
enough  that  it  was  not  his  fault,  and  even  in  the  depths  of 
my  poverty  I  have  never  borne  a  grudge  against  him.  How 
could  he  help  it,  when  the  Bailiff  found  false  witnesses 
against  me  ?  My  good  old  master  often  afterwards  gave  me 
alms  and  food,  God  bless  him !  And  if,  Sir,  he  had  only 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  79 

gone  about  among  us,  and  talked  with  us  as  you  have  done, 
things  would  have  been  very  different-" 

'"  You  must  forget  that  now,  Rudy.  The  meadow  is  yours 
again,  and  I  wish  you  joy  with  all  my  heart." 

Rudy  tried  in  vain  to  express  his  delight  and  gratitude, 
but  in  a  moment  tears  rushed  to  his  eyes,  and  clasping  his 
hands,  he  exclaimed:  "  O  gracious  Sir,  my  mother's  bless- 
ing is  upon  me !  She  said  to  me  before  she  died :  '  Rudy, 
all  will  go  well  with  you.'  Ah,  if  she  could  only  have  lived 
to  see  this  day  !  " 

Arner  and  the  pastor  were  both  much  affected,  and  it  was 
after  a  pause  that  the  former  spoke :  "I  had  almost  for- 
gotten to  say  that  the  Bailiff  is  bound  to  pay  you  arrears 
and  costs." 

"May  I  say  a  word?"  asked  the  parson.  "It  is  true, 
Rudy,  that  he  owes  you  all  the  arrears,  but  he  is  in  very 
straitened  circumstances,  and  I  know  you  are  too  kind- 
hearted  to  bring  him  to  beggary  in  his  old  age.  Have  pity 
upon  his  distress,  Rudy !  " 

"  I  never  should  think  of  the  arrears  for  a  moment,  rev- 
erend Sir.  And  if  the  Bailiff  is  poor,  —  why,  Sir,  there  is  hay 
enough  from  the  meadow  to  pasture  more  than  three  cows, 
and  if  I  can  keep  two,  I  shall  have  enough  and  to  spare. 
So  I  am  very  willing  to  allow  the  Bailiff  hay  enough  for  one 
cow,  as  long  as  he  lives." 

Arner  praised  Rudy's  resolution,  but  urged  him  to  take 
time  for  reflection  before  acting  upon  it,  and  said  as  the 
peasant  took  his  leave  :  "  Below  in  the  parsonage  stable  you 
will  find  a  cow,  which  I  give  you  to  reconcile  you  to  my  dear 
grandfather,  who  did  you  a  wrong.  I  have  given  orders 
that  a  load  of  hay  shall  be  carried  to  your  house  from  the 
Bailiff's  barn ;  and  if  you  need  any  wood  to  repair  your 
house  or  stable,  you  may  cut  it  in  my  forest." 

After  Rudy's  departure,  all  those  assembled  at  the  parson- 


80  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

age  remained  silent  for  a  while,  and  their  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears.  Presently  the  children  of  both  families  begged 
permission  to  go  and  see  Rudy's  poor  children,  and  the  par- 
ents gave  their  consent.  Arner  had  brought  with  him  in  his 
carriage  a  roasted  quarter  of  veal  for  the  destitute  family, 
and  the  pastor's  wife  had  made  a  nourishing  soup  to  go  with 
it;  Arner 's  servant  was  sent  ahead  with  this  food,  while 
the  whole  party  followed.  When  they  entered  Rudy's  door, 
the  house  seemed  to  contain  nothing  but  ragged,  sickly, 
half-starved  children ;  everything  denoted  extreme  poverty. 
"And  this  Rudy,"  Arner  said  to  the  ladies,  "is  willing  to 
give  up  a  third  part  of  the  hay  from  his  meadow,  to  the  very 
man  who  has  kept  him  in  this  state  of  wretchedness  for  ten 
years !  " 

"That  must  never  be!''  exclaimed  Theresa  impetuously. 
"  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  that  man,  with  all  his  children, 
giving  a  single  penny  that  belongs  to  him  to  that  abandoned 
wretch ! " 

"  My  dear,"  said  Arner,  "would  you  restrict  the  course 
of  that  virtue  and  generosity  which  God  has  so  exalted 
through  suffering  and  want  that  it  has  just  brought  tears  to 
your  eyes  ?  " 

"  No,  that  I  will  not !"  she  cried.  "  Let  him  give  away 
all  his  possessions,  if  he  can ;  God  will  never  forsake  such 
a  man." 

Arner  turned  to  Rudy,  and  bade  him  give  his  children 
something  to  eat.  But  little  Rudy  plucked  his  father  by  the 
sleeve,  and  whispered :  "  Father,  I  want  to  carry  something 
to  Gertrude." 

Arner  caught  the  last  word,  and  inquired  what  the  child 
was  saying.  Rudy  told  him  of  the  stolen  potatoes,  of  his 
mother's  death-bed,  and  of  the  constant  kindness  shown 
them  by  the  mason  and  his  wife,  adding:  "Gracious  Sir, 
this  day  is  a  joyful  one  indeed ;  but  I  cannot  enjoy  a  single 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  81 

mouthful,  unless  I  may  invite  these  good  people  to  share 
it." 

It  would  be  too  long  a  story  to  relate  how  the  women 
praised  the  mason's  wife,  how  little  Rudy  ran  in  great 
excitement  to  invite  Leonard  and  Gertrude  to  supper,  how 
the  worthy  couple  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  come,  until 
Arner  sent  his  servant  with  express  injunctions  to  that  effect, 
when  the}7  appeared  abashed  and  with  downcast  eyes ;  and 
how,  despite  the  kindness  of  Theresa  and  the  pastor's  wife, 
the  children  were  not  quite  happy  until  Gertrude's  arrival, 
when  they  thronged  about  her  with  smiles  and  caresses. 

Arner  and  Theresa  stood  watching  this  scene  a  long  time, 
and  took  leave  silently,  with  tears  in  their  eyes.  "Drive 
slowly  for  a  while,"  said  Arner  to  the  coachman.  As  they 
were  mounting  the  hill,  they  saw  the  poulterer  approaching, 
and  Theresa  said  to  her  husband :  "  This  man  ought  to  have 
something  for  his  pains,  since  he  is  really  at  the  bottom  of 
the  whole  matter." 

"Christopher!"  cried  Arner,  "my  wife  doesn't  think  it 
quite  fair  for  you  to  have  played  the  Devil  for  nothing,"  and 
reached  him  a  couple  of  thalers. 

"  Gracious  Sir,"  said  the  poulterer  with  a  low  bow,  "  I 
should  like  to  play  the  Devil  every  day  of  my  life  !  " 

"Provided,"  returned  Arner,  "you  could  be  sure  the 
dogs  were  kept  chained  up." 

"Very  true,  Sir!"  was  the  reply,  as  the  carriage  drove 
on. 

In  pursuance  of  Arner's  decree,  the  Bailiff  was  led  that 
evening  to  the  mile-stone,  and  compelled  to  restore  every- 
thing to  its  former  condition.  He  was  accompanied  by  an 
excited  and  disorderly  crowd  of  villagers ;  the  schoolboys 
fired  missiles  at  him  from  the  walls  and  trees,  as  he  went 
by,  while  the  girls  stood  hand  in  hand  in  long  rows  behind 
the  wayside  hedges,  and  laughed  at  the  strange  procession. 


82  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

Threats  and  maledictions  were  showered  upon  the  Bailiff 
from  every  house  he  passed  —  except  one ;  in  Leonard's 
cottage  no  living  soul  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  doors  and 
windows  were  closed. 

To  avoid  a  repetition  of  this  scene  on  the  following  day, 
the  strictest  orders  were  issued  that  none  should  be  allowed 
to  accompany  the  prisoner  to  the  gallows,  except  those  who 
first  attended  the  morning  service  in  the  church ;  and  senti- 
nels were  posted  to  prevent  any  strangers  from  gaining 
access  to  the  village  and  joining  the  procession.  Those  who 
should  attend  the  service,  and  subsequently  witness  the 
Bailiff's  punishment,  were  to  conduct  themselves  with  order 
and  propriety,  on  pain  of  being  detained  in  Bonnal  under 
arrest. 

The  parson's  sermon  on  the  wretchedness  of  sin  and  the 
joy  of  righteousness  went  to  the  hearts  of  all  his  congrega- 
tion ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  Bailiff  were  a  mirror  in  the  pastor's 
hands,  from  which  each  one  of  the  multitude  saw  his  own 
sins  reflected.  After  his  discourse  was  over,  the  clergyman 
descended  from  the  pulpit  and  talked  kindly  with  the  pris- 
oner ;  and  on  perceiving  that  Hummel  was  faint  with  hunger 
and  exhaustion,  he  ordered  food  and  drink  to  be  brought 
from  the  parsonage.  When  the  Bailiff's  strength  was  some- 
what revived,  the  procession  set  forth,  the  pastor  walking  by 
his  side  and  praying  aloud  all  the  way,  while  the  people  fol- 
lowed in  deep  silence,  and  the  death-bell  of  Bonnal  tolled  its 
solemn  knell. 

Arrived  at  the  spot,  the  Bailiff,  with  bare  feet  and  uncov- 
ered head,  stood  before  the  multitude,  and  was  made  to  re- 
peat three  times  the  words  :  ' '  Here  I  have  deserved  to  die  !  " 

A  hangman  answered  in  a  loud  voice:  "Yes,  thou  hast 
deserved  that  thy  bones  should  rot  here,  and  the  birds  of 
heaven  feed  upon  thy  flesh ! " 

Three  times  the  Bailiff  made  answer:  "I  have  deserved 
it!" 


LEONAKD   AND  GERTRUDE.  83 

"  Servant  of  justice,  he  is  pardoned !  Kill  him  not !  "  cried 
the  powerful  voice  of  the  judge. 

"  What  shall  I  do  to  him,  then  ?  " 

"  Thou  shalt  bind  him  to  the  arms  of  the  gallows,  and 
after  fastening  his  hand  to  a  stake,  thou  shalt  paint  the  fin- 
gers of  the  perjurer  thrice,  with  an  indelible  black  dye." 

During  the  execution  of  this  sentence,  the  judge,  turning 
to  the  people,  pronounced  the  following  injunction: 
"  Hearken,  ye  people !  Your  master  and  father  bids  me 
Bay  to  you  that  whosoever  among  you  does  not  dread  such  a 
disgrace  more  than  death,  he  and  his  are  on  the  high  road  to 
the  same  misery  in  which  this  poor  man  is  involved ! " 


84  LEONARD  AND  GEBTBUDE. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DOMESTIC  ORDER  AND  DISORDER. 

As  long  as  the  death-bell  tolled  in  the  village,  Gertrude 
prayed  at  home  with  her  children.  She  then  resolved,  in 
accordance  with  her  promise  to  the  dying  Catharine,  to  pay 
a  visit  to  her  good  neighbor  Hubel-Rudy,  and  see  what  assist- 
ance she  could  render  after  his  change  of  fortune.  She 
found  the  children  had  just  risen  from  their  beds,  and  the 
father  himself  looked  as  if  he  had  not  yet  had  time  to  dress 
himself  properly.  The  children's  clothes  lay  scattered  about 
the  floor,  and  the  cat  was  seated  on  the  table,  beside  the 
dirty  plate  from  which  she  had  eaten  her  supper  the  night 
before.  Gertrude  tried  to  make  Rudy  comprehend  what 
would  be  the  result  if  such  a  condition  of  things  continued, 
but  at  first  he  hardly  seemed  to  understand  of  what  she  was 
speaking.  At  length  he  answered,  with  tears  in  his  eyes -. 
"  You  are  right,  neighbor ;  but,  indeed,  it  could  not  be  other- 
vrise  while  we  were  so  wretchedly  poor." 

"That  is  the  very  reason,  Rudy,  why  you  must  be  willing 
to  have  help  and  advice  now ;  for  this  is  a  deep-rooted 
disease,  which  you  must  set  to  work  in  earnest  to  cure." 

"Oh,  I  suppose  the  disease  will  cure  itself  when  I  have 
enough  to  eat,  and  am  not  tormented  by  the  hunger  of  my 
children." 

'*  Don't  deceive  yourself !  It  will  not  be  so  easy  as  you 
think  to  accustom  yourself  to  good,  orderly  habits.  But, 
Rudy,  we  will  waste  no  time  in  talking ;  we  will  go  to  work 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  85 

at  once.  Before  the  sun  sets,  this  room  must  look  so  differ- 
ently that  nobody  will  know  it.  Tables,  windows  and  floor 
must  all  be  scrubbed,  and  the  room  must  be  aired  every  day. 
I  am  sure  your  children  look  so  sickly  just  because  they  have 
.no  pure  air  to  breathe,  day  or  night.  It  was  a  misfortune 
that  your  wife  neglected  her  household  so  toward  the  last ! 
However  poor  a  woman  is,  she  ought  at  least  to  do  for  her 
husband  and  children  what  costs  nothing." 

' '  So  my  mother  often  told  her ;  but  she  was  so  utterly 
broken  down  by  our  poverty,  that  she  did  not  even  try  to  do 
what  she  could.  Ever  since  yesterday  it  has  seemed  to  me 
as  if  she  ought  to  come  back  and  share  my  prosperity,  as 
she  did  my  adversity." 

u  She  is  better  off  than  any  of  us  now,  Rudy !  But  the 
best  way  of  cherishing  her  memory  is  to  bring  up  your  chil- 
dren so  that  they  shall  not  be  as  unhappy  as  she.  Believe 
me,  in  bringing  up  a  child,  trifles  are  of  very  great  impor- 
tance, such  as  whether  it  gets  up  half  an  hour  earlier  or 
later  in  the  morning,  and  whether  it  throws  its  Sunday 
clothes  into  a  corner,  or  folds  them  up  carefully  and  lays 
them  away ;  and  it  is  very  necessary  that  children  should 
not  be  left  to  themselves  all  day,  but  that  they  should  know, 
from  the  time  they  get  up  in  the  morning  till  they  go  to  bed 
at  night,  just  what  they  have  to  do.  If  these  little  things 
are  not  regarded,  the  most  docile  and  happy-hearted  girl, 
when  she  grows  up  and  has  children  of  her  own,  may 
become  so  despondent  and  unlike  herself  that  no  one  would 
recognize  her." 

"  So  it  was  with  my  wife,"  sighed  Rudy. 

"  I  knew  her  parents,"  resumed  Gertrude.  "  There  was 
never  any  order  in  the  household  ;  and  then  she  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Parson  Flieg,  who  filled  her  head  with  dreams 
and  speculations  about  the  revelation  of  St.  John,  as  if  she 
had  nothing  in  the  world  to  do  but  read  about  them." 


86  LEONARD   AND    GERTRUDE. 

"Yes,  I  was  sometimes  afraid  she  would  set  the  house  on 
fire,  she  was  so  absent-minded  over  her  books.  They  were 
her  sanctuary  and  her  heaven,  so  that  she  forgot  me  and  the 
children  and  everything  else." 

"That  is  a  sad  state  of  things!"  remarked  Gertrude. 
"  Books  should  be  to  a  woman  like  her  Sunday  gown,  and 
work  like  her  everyday  clothes." 

"  She  wore  this  Sunday  gown  every  day." 

"  Until  it  was  so  badly  worn  as  not  even  to  be  fit  for  an 
everyday  dress." 

"  What  made  me  feel  worst  of  all,"  said  Rudy,  "  was  that 
with  all  her  slovenliness,  she  was  always  so  pious,  and  made 
the  children  say  their  prayers." 

"  Ah,  but  there  can  be  no  true  piety  without  energy,  and 
when  one  is  slovenly,  one  can  neither  pray  properly  one's  self, 
nor  teach  it  to  one's  children." 

"  You  are  right ;  when  she  no  longer  had  her  usual  food, 
she  began  to  neglect  her  books,  and  instead  of  praying  with 
the  children,  only  wept  over  them." 

"  Let  that  be  a  warning  to  you,  Rudy !  Teach  your 
children  to  pray,  that  they  may  be  willing  to  work,  and  to 
work,  that  they  may  never  grow  tired  of  praying." 

"  I  will  send  the  two  oldest  at  once  to  a  seamstress,  to 
learn  to  sew." 

"  But  you  must  clothe  them  first,  before  they  can  go  out 
of  this  room." 

"  Well,  then,  buy  them  some  cloth  for  clothes ;  I  know 
nothing  of  such  things.  I  will  borrow  the  money  to-day." 

"Borrow  nothing,  Rudy.  I  will  buy  the  cloth,  and  you 
shall  pay  me  after  the  hay  harvest." 

"  Why  not  borrow?" 

"  Because  it  is  a  part  of  good  house-keeping  never  to  take 
a  thing  from  one  nail  to  hang  it  on  another,  and  because  out 
of  a  hundred  men  who  lend  money,  there  are  not  ten  who  do 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  87 

not  take  an  undue  advantage.  You  must  learn  to  keep  what 
God  has  given  back  to  you  and  your  children  after  your  long 
suffering." 

Rudy  asked  Gertrude  in  some  concern  whether  she  then 
disapproved  of  his  promise  to  divide  the  crop  of  his  meadow 
with  the  Bailiff.  She  had  not  heard  of  the  project,  and 
although  it  seemed  to  her  hastily  conceived,  she  could  not 
but  praise  the  forgiving  generosity  which  had  dictated  it. 
While  they  were  talking,  Gertrude  washed  the  children, 
combed  their  hair  with  a  gentleness  to  which  they  were  not 
accustomed,  and  made  them  put  on  their  clothes  with  more 
care  than  usual.  Then,  bringing  a  tub,  a  broom  and  some 
brushes  from  her  own  house,  she  set  about  cleaning  the 
room.  After  showing  Rudy  how  to  continue  the  work  with 
the  aid  of  the  children,  she  returned  home,  telling  him  to 
Bend  the  children  to  her  in  the  afternoon,  if  they  had  been 
good  and  helpful.  When  she  had  gone,  Rudy  stood  still  for 
a  little  while,  and  thought  within  himself  :  "  It  would  be  like 
being  in  heaven  to  have  such  a  wife  !  "  And  when  he  sent 
the  children  to  her  in  the  afternoon,  for  the  first  time  in 
many  years  he  took  pains  to  see  that  their  faces  and  hands 
were  clean,  and  their  hair  and  clothes  in  order,  so  that  they 
themselves  were  surprised,  and  the  neighbors  who  saw  them 
go  by  said  to  each  other:  "He  surely  means  to  marry 
again !  " 

The  mason's  children  were  all  at  their  spinning-wheels, 
and  although  they  greeted  their  guests  joyfully,  they  did  not 
stop  working  for  a  moment.  "  Hurry  and  get  through,  and 
then  you  can  play  with  your  little  friends  till  six  o'clock," 
said  Gertrude.  Rudy's  children  stood  in  open-mouthed 
wonder  at  the  beautiful  work  and  the  cheerful  aspect  of  the 
room.  "  Can  you  spin?"  she  asked. 

"  No,"  they  answered. 

"  Then  you  must  learn,  my  dears.     My  children  wouldn't 


88  LEONAKD   AND   GEETRUDE. 

sell  their  knowledge  of  it  at  any  price,  and  are  happy  enough 
on  Saturday,  when  they  each  get  their  few  kreutzers.  The 
year  is  long,  my  dears,  and  if  we  earn  something  every 
week,  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  is  a  lot  of  money,  without 
our  knowing  how  we  came  by  it." 

"  Oh,  please  teach  us ! "  implored  the  children,  nestling 
close  to  the  good  woman. 

"  Willingly,"  Gertrude  replied  ;  "  come  every  day,  if  you 
like,  and  you  will  soon  learn." 

Meanwhile,  the  others  had  finished  their  work,  and  put 
away  their  yarn  and  wheels  ;  they  took  their  visitors  by  the 
hand,  and  all  the  children  sprang  merrily  about  in  the  meadow 
under  the  trees.  Gertrude's  children  were  more  careful  than 
their  companions  to  avoid  the  mud  and  the  thorns,  and  took 
heed  to  their  clothes.  They  tied  up  then*  stockings  and 
shoes  when  they  became  undone,  and  would  often  say  to 
Rudy's  children:  "You  are  losing  your  garter,"  or  "You 
are  getting  dirty,"  or  "You  will  tear  your  dress  on  the 
thorns."  Their  playfellows  took  it  all  in  good  part,  for  they 
saw  that  the  mason's  children  did  everything  themselves 
which  they  prescribed,  and  were  not  putting  on  airs. 

On  the  stroke  of  six,  Gertrude's  children  ran  into  the 
house,  like  birds  to  their  nests  at  sundown.  "  Will  you 
come  with  us?  We  are  going  to  pray  now,"  they  said  to 
their  visitors ;  and  as  they  were  playing  the  game  called 
"  cat's  tail,"  they  led  the  long  procession  through  the 
meadow,  up  the  steps,  and  to  the  very  table  where  they 
seated  themselves.  "  Must  you  not  go  home  to  prayers, 
my  dears?"  inquired  Gertrude  of  the  little  strangers. 

"  We  don't  pray  till  we  go  to  bed,"  replied  the  eldest. 

"  And  when  must  you  go  to  bed?  " 

"How  do  I  know?"  said  the  child ;  and  another  answered : 
**  When  it  begins  to  grow  dark." 

"  Well,  then,  you  can  pray  with  us,  and  then  it  will  be 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  89 

time  for  you  to  go  home."  Gertrude  heard  her  own  chil- 
dren pray  in  turn,  and  then,  after  letting  Rudy's  children 
repeat  the  prayers  they  knew,  she  accompanied  them  to  the 
corner  of  the  house  with  a  cheery  parting,  bidding  them 
come  again  soon. 


00  LEONAED   AND  GEETEUDB. 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

DISTURBANCE   REIGNS    THROUGHOUT    THE   VILLAGE,    EXCEPT    IN 
ONE   HOUSE. 

THROUGH  his  sympathetic  kindness,  the  pastor  so  won  the 
confidence  of  the  imprisoned  Bailiff  that  the  latter  related  to 
him  in  detail  the  history  of  his  life,  involving,  as  it  did,  the 
life  of  the  whole  village,  so  that  the  pastor  could  look  into 
every  household  and  see  the  hidden  springs  of  action,  clear 
as  in  a  mirror.  It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  uni- 
versal panic  which  prevailed  at  the  intelligence  that  the 
Bailiff  was  confessing  everything  to  the  pastor.  Every- 
where people  put  their  heads  together  mysteriously,  and  pale, 
frightened  faces  were  seen.  Husbands  and  wives  who  had 
been  quarrelling  suddenly  became  friends,  and  the  most 
obstinate  children  all  at  once  grew  docile  and  obedient.  Cir- 
cumstances and  events  which  had  long  been  forgotten  were 
mentioned  without  any  apparent  connection,  and  on  every 
side  the  compassion  which  the  Bailiff  had  excited  vanished 
as  speedily  as  it  had  come.  The  overseers  were  the  most 
anxious,  and  calling  a  meeting  of  all  the  well-to-do  peasants 
in  the  village,  they  resolved  to  bribe  the  Bailiff  to  silence. 
All  their  efforts  in  this  direction,  however,  were  vain,  and 
they  accordingly  bent  their  energies  on  making  mischief 
between  Arner  and  the  pastor. 

About  this  time,  a  report  began  to  circulate  that  every- 
thing had  not  been  as  it  should  be  at  the  last  assembly  of 
the  people,  and  that  the  poulterer  had  blinded  everybody  with 
devil's  tricks.  The  overseers  were  the  most  eager  in  dis- 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  91 

geminating  this  nonsense,  since  it  suited  their  own  schemes. 
Many  an  old  ghost-story  was  brought  to  light  under  the 
present  state  of  things.  People  talked  of  haunted  houses, 
.and  recalled  the  story  of  the  crow  which  used  to  come  and 
sit  on  a  particular  branch  of  the  smith's  tree,  whenever  a 
misfortune  was  in  store  for  him,  until  he  finally  cut  down  the 
tree,  and  burned  it  up ;  and  since  then,  nothing  but  good 
luck  had  befallen  his  house,  —  except,  to  be  sure,  that  the 
smith  himself  had  lost  his  wits,  and  had  to  be  bound  hand 
and  foot.  The  mothers  talked  to  their  children  of  the  black 
man  who  would  come  and  catch  them  if  they  were  naughty, 
and  the  wife  of  the  younger  Kienholz,  who  had  taught  her 
children  to  ridicule  the  idea  of  ghosts  and  witches,  in  order 
to  curry  favor  with  the  pastor,  now  made  them  recite  the 
prayer  against  bad  spirits  every  morning  and  evening. 

Even  the  innocent  game  of  "  cat's  tail,"  which  Leonard's 
and  Rudy's  children  played  together,  was  made  a  cause  of 
suspicion  and  gossip.  The  cheesemonger's  wife,  who  seemed 
to  have  been  born  for  the  express  purpose  of  extracting 
poison  from  honey,  and  making  elephants  out  of  gnats, 
unluckily  met  Rudy's  daughter  Maggie  in  the  street,  and 
resolved  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  mysterious  game  which 
people  were  beginning  to  shake  their  heads  over.  She  gave 
ner  hand  to  the  child  with  apparent  friendliness,  and  the  fol- 
lowing cross-examination  took  place : 

"Did  you  children  have  a  good  play  at  the  mason's  yes- 
terday?" 

"That  we  did!" 

"  Was  there  a  pretty  cat  ?n  the  room,  my  child?" 

"  Yes." 

"A  black  one?" 

"Coal-black." 

"  But  she  had  fiery  eyes?  " 

"  Yes,  when  she  was  under  the  bench. " 


92  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

"  What  did  the  cat  do?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  Did  she  sit  still  all  the  time?  " 

"  No,  she  came  rubbing  against  our  legs,  and  once  almost 
Jumped  up  in  my  lap." 

"  During  prayers?" 

"  Do  you  suppose  cats  know  when  we  are  praying?" 

"  Did  you  touch  her?  " 

"  Yes  indeed." 

"  During  prayers  ?  " 

"  Yes,  when  she  came  too  near  us." 

"  Don't  you  have  to  fold  your  hands  while  you  pray?" 

"  To  be  sure." 

"  Then  how  could  you  touch  her?" 

"  With  our  legs  under  the  table." 

"  But  she  was  coal-black,  wasn't  she?" 

"  Not  all  over." 

"But  almost  black?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  she  had  fiery  eyes?  " 

"  I  told  you  so,  when  she  was  under  the  bench." 

From  this  conversation,  which  was  immediately  reported 
right  and  left,  with  numerous  additions,  the  rumor  soon 
spread  that  the  cat  in  question  was  no  ordinary  cat,  and  that 
things  were  not  as  they  should  be  in  the  mason's  household. 
For  a  long  time  no  one  said  anything  of  the  matter  to 
Leonard  or  Rudy,  but  they  noticed  that  people  looked  at 
them  strangely,  and  the  children  often  came  home  in  tears, 
complaining  that  the  nicest  children  in  the  village  refused  to 
play  with  them.  Finally  a  neighbor  came  to  the  mason,  and 
told  him  that  one  of  the  chief  gossips  of  the  place,  who  went 
by  the  name  of  "  Glib-tongued  Peg,"  had  been  circulating 
wonderful  stories  about  his  family,  and  mentioned  the  absurd 
tumors  which  were  going  the  rounds.  Leonard  turned  pale 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  93 

with  anger,  and  no  longer  master  of  himself,  ran  like  a  mad- 
man to  Peg's  house.  She  was  outside  at  the  well,  with  some 
of  her  cronies,  to  whom  she  had  just  been  relating  the  story 
afresh,  and  was  so  alarmed  by  his  sudden  appearance  and 
the  angry  accusations  with  which  he  assailed  her,  that  she 
immediately  took  back  her  words,  and  confessed  in  the  pres- 
ence of  all  the  by-standers  that  her  slanders  had  no  founda- 
tion. 

This  put  an  end  to  the  persecution  of  the  mason's  house- 
hold, but  the  peasants  were  all  the  more  zealous  in  decrying 
the  poulterer,  and  in  asserting  that  he  had  hoodwinked  them 
all  by  his  magic  arts.  When  Christopher  came  to  Bonnal,  as 
usual,  to  buy  chickens,  pigeons  and  eggs  for  the  Castle,  no 
one  would  sell  him  so  much  as  an  egg-shell,  and  he  was  not 
allowed  to  enter  a  single  house.  At  a  loss  what  to  do, 
the  poulterer  finally  seated  himself  with  his  basket  on  the 
bench  beside  the  dwelling  of  his  old  friend  Leupi,  exclaim- 
ing in  vexation :  "  My  Devil's  job  and  the  fee  I  got  for  it 
have  turned  out  badly  for  me,  neighbor !  " 

"  God  forbid  that  you  should  engage  in  such  a  thing  for 
the  sake  of  a  fee ! "  cried  Leupi,  rising  from  the  bench,  and 
withdrawing  from  so  dangerous  a  neighborhood. 

An  hour  later,  the  whole  village  was  in  possession  of  the 
intelligence  that  the  poulterer  had  himself  confessed  to 
having  a  compact  with  the  Devil.  This  rumor  was  an  addi- 
tional encouragement  to  the  rich  peasants  and  overseers,  in 
their  resolution  to  prevent  the  promised  division  of  the  com- 
mon. The  only  question  was,  how  this  end  was  to  be  accom- 
plished. They  would  have  preferred  to  withdraw  their  consent 
openly,  on  the  ground  that  the  promise  had  been  extorted 
from  them  on  false  pretences,  but  as  their  courage  was  not 
sufficient  for  this,  they  took  council  together  as  to  the  best 
means  of  putting  off  the  evil  day.  Two  opinions  prevailed ; 
one  was,  to  postpone  the  matter  until  the  autumn,  and  then 


94  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

represent  to  Arner  the  impossibility  of  dividing  the  meadow 
at  that  season,  when  they  were  all  over-crowded  with  cattle, 
and  not  in  condition  to  dispense  with  the  common  pasture- 
ground.  The  other  recommendation  was  to  give  up  a  certain 
piece  of  the  land  to  be  divided  by  way  of  trial,  selecting  for 
the  purpose  a  worthless  corner  of  the  meadow,  full  of  thorns 
and  swamps,  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  cultivate  prop- 
erly, so  that  Arner  would  be  indignant  at  the  apparent 
laziness  of  those  to  whom  it  was  intrusted.  After  a  long 
discussion,  it  was  decided  to  adopt  both  of  these  counsels, 
and  to  bring  them  before  Arner  by  means  of  the  new  Bailiff 
Meyer.  The  latter  objected  at  first  to  being  employed  as  a 
tool  in  such  an  enterprise,  but  his  scruples  were  overcome 
by  the  persuasions  and  ridicule  of  his  influential  fellow- 
townsmen. 

Meanwhile,  no  one  suspected  that  Arner  was  employing  a 
portion  of  almost  every  day  in  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  common  in  question,  examining  thoroughly  the  whole 
conformation  of  the  land,  and  deciding  just  which  portions 
were  good  for  pasturage,  which  for  agriculture,  and  which 
were  only  fit  for  reeds  and  lumber. 

The  only  cottage  in  the  village  which  was  free  from  the 
turbulent  unrest  of  this  period  was  that  of  Gertrude.  She 
alone  seemed  to  possess  a  soul  untainted  by  the  moral  filth 
around  her,  and  always  had  a  stock  of  mottoes  on  hand 
which  made  the  path  of  duty  plainer  for  herself  and  others. 
Some  of  these  were :  "Be  silent  about  everything  which 
does  not  concern  you  "  ;  "  Do  not  speak  of  that  which  you 
do  not  understand"  ;  "  Step  aside  when  people  speak  either 
too  loud  or  too  softly";  "  Learn  well  what  it  is  necessary 
for  you  to  use"  ;  "  Let  your  head  and  heart  always  be  in  the 
right  place,  and  never  in  many  at  once,  but  always  with 
you"  ;  "  Serve  with  body  and  soul  those  to  whom  you  are 
indebted,  and  those  you  love."  Guided  bj7  such  sayings  as 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  95 

these,  she  had  attained  to  a  remarkable  degree  of  domestic 
and  social  wisdom,  and  throughout  the  confusion  which 
reigned  in  the  village,  no  word  escaped  her  lips  which  could 
give  rise  to  misunderstandings,  not  a  syllable  which  could 
provoke  either  enmity  or  ridicule. 

Rudy's  children  came  to  her  almost  every  day,  and  con- 
stantly learned  from  her  to  take  more  heed  to  themselves  and 
all  about  them.  While  they  were  spinning  and  sewing,  she 
taught  them  to  count  and  cipher,  for  she  regarded  arithmetic 
as  the  foundation  of  all  intellectual  order.  Her  method  was 
to  let  the  children  count  their  threads  or  stitches  both  for- 
wards and  backwards,  and  add  and  subtract,  multiply  and 
divide  the  result  by  different  numbers.  The  children  vied 
with  each  other  in  this  game,  trying  to  see  who  could  be 
quickest  and  surest  in  the  exercise.  When  they  were  tired, 
they  sang  songs,  and  night  and  morning  Gertrude  prayed 
with  them.  Her  favorite  prayer,  and  the  one  she  taught  the 
children  first,  was  as  follows  : 

O  God  so  good  and  kind, 
Of  all  our  gifts  the  spring, 
Without  whom  nothing  is, 
From  whom  comes  everything,  — 
A  healthy  body  give, 
And  grant  that  in  this  frame 
The  soul  unharmed  may  live, 
The  conscience  pure  remain. 


LEONAED  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

IT  IS    ONLY   FRIENDS    IN   NEED   THAT   ARE   FRIENDS   INDEED. 

THE  exhortations  of  the  good  pastor  had  awakened  such  a 
sense  of  hopeless  remorse  in  the  Bailiff,  that  he  felt  as  if  no 
one  in  the  world  could  look  upon  him  with  compassion.  He 
often  sat  motionless  in  the  parson's  room,  his  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  and  sometimes  refused  to  drink  the  wine  which  was 
placed  before  him.  One  day,  while  he  was  in  this  state,  the 
door  opened,  and  Hubel-Rudy  entered.  The  Bailiff  gazed 
at  him  a  few  moments  speechless  with  terror,  then  sinking 
on  his  knees,  he  implored  forgiveness  of  the  injured  man. 
"Rise,  Bailiff  !"  said  the  pastor;  "he  has  long  since  for- 
given you." 

They  helped  the  wretched  man  to  his  feet,  and  he  con- 
fessed, trembling,  that  it  had  seemed  to  him  as  if  Rudy's 
mother  would  certainly  appear  behind  her  son.  "  But  you 
know  she  is  dead,"  said  Rudy. 

' '  I  know  it !  Yet  it  seemed  as  if  she  must  be  here  to 
reproach  me  for  her  wrongs.  I  suppose  she  cursed  me  with 
her  dying  breath  for  all  I  made  her  suffer." 

"No,  Bailiff,  God  be  praised!"  exclaimed  the  pastor; 
' '  the  good  Catharine  forgave  and  prayed  for  you  in  her  last 
hours,  and  wished  you  all  manner  of  good." 

Rudy  repeated  the  dying  message  of  his  mother,  which 
brought  sweetest  comfort  to  the  soul  of  the  repentant  man. 
When  the  pastor  told  him  of  Rudy's  generous  offer  to  allow 
him  fodder  for  one  cow  from  his  newly  recovered  meadow, 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  97 

Hummel  was  too  much  moved  to  speak  ;  yet  for  the  first  time 
Bince  his  captivity  he  felt  strengthened  and  refreshed. 

The  Bailiff's  wife,  meanwhile,  was  in  a  wretched  condition. 
Prostrated  by  the  fright  and  sorrow  of  the  last  few  days, 
she  had  unfortunately  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  quack 
doctor  Treuf aug,  who  gave  her  some  of  his  so-called  ' '  heav- 
enly drops,"  which  rapidly  increased  her  bad  symptoms 
without  her  suspecting  the  cause.  When  the  Bailiff  heard 
of  her  illness,  he  obtained  permission  from  the  pastor  to 
return  home  for  the  night.  He  found  his  wife  much  changed 
in  his  absence,  but  she  rejoiced  to  see  him,  and  the  two 
talked  long  and  confidentially  together  of  all  that  had  be- 
fallen them  since  their  separation. 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  asked  presently,  "  who  has  shown 
me  most  kindness  during  this  time?  But  you  would  never 
guess.  Hans  Wu'st  has  come  every  evening  since  you  were 
taken  prisoner,  and  has  split  wood,  drawn  water,  and  done 
whatever  I  needed.  Then  Hubel-Rudy  and  Gertrude  have 
been  very  kind  ;  but  she  is  angry  now  because  I  would  take 
Treuf aug's  medicine,  which  she  says  she  knows  has  poisoned 
a  great  many  people." 

"  I  certainly  should  not  have  let  you  take  it  if  I  had  been 
here,"  replied  her  husband.  "But  how  was  it  with  my 
friends  ?  I  suppose  they  treated  you  worst  of  all  ?  " 

"You  are  pretty  nearly  right.  At  first  they  were  very 
friendly,  and  made  me  all  sorts  of  promises,  provided  I 
would  prevent  you  from  implicating  any  of  them  in  your 
statements.  But  all  of  a  sudden,  for  no  apparent  reason, 
they  grew  furious  against  us,  and  uttered  the  most  dreadful 
threats.  Then  Glib-tongued  Peg  came  running  to  me  almost 
beside  herself  with  rage,  after  the  scene  with  Leonard  at  the 
well,  and  cried  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  so  that  she  could  be 
heard  through  the  whole  street :  '  It  is  all  your  fault !  Yours 
is  a  cursed  house,  and  whoever  has  anything  to  do  with  you 


98  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 

gets  into  trouble  ! '  But  Kriecher  was  worst  of  all.  He  has 
never  lost  an  opportunity  of  mocking  us  in  our  misfortune, 
and  the  other  day  he  actually  thrust  out  his  tongue  at  me  in 
the  public  street,  and  said  we  might  now  be  glad  ourselves 
of  the  pastor's  alms,  of  which  we  had  tried  to  defraud  him." 

"But  I'll  venture  to  say  he  has  not  done  that  since  last 
"Wednesday,"  said  the  Bailiff. 

"You  are  right ;  but  why ? " 

"  Because  he  had  his  reward  Tuesday  night.  You  know 
every  Tuesday  afternoon  the  beggars  come  to  the  parsonage 
for  bread.  Kriecher  sent  one  of  his  children,  with  the  mes- 
sage that  he  lay  sick  in  bed  and  had  not  a  mouthful  to  eat  in 
the  house.  But  the  pastor  was  not  to  be  imposed  upon,  and 
sent  back  word  he  must  come  himself,  which  he  finally  did 
at  twilight.  I  was  in  the  next  room,  and  I  never  shall  forget 
the  rage  with  which  the  pastor  brought  his  fist  down  on  the 
table,  and  took  the  fellow  to  task  for  his  meanness.  Kriecher 
mumbled  something  about  being  an  unlucky  man  who  was 
always  slandered,  but  the  pastor  bade  him  depart  out  of  his 
sight,  and  thank  Heaven  that  an  aged  parson  could  not  use 
his  cane  against  him  as  he  deserved." 

While  the  Bailiff  and  his  wife  were  thus  chatting  together, 
a  conspiracy  was  on  foot  among  the  unscrupulous  men  of  the 
village,  and  as  the  prisoner  was  returning  to  his  captivity  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  was  suddenly  accosted  by  a 
man  who  lay  half  concealed  behind  an  old  nut-tree  near  the 
path.  He  started  back  at  first,  but  his  interlocutor,  com- 
ing close  to  him,  shouted  out:  "Is  it  really  you,  Bailiff? 
I  thought  you  were  locked  up,  .and  here  you  are  in  the 
street ! " 

Hummel  was  convinced  by  the  insolence  of  the  fellow's 
manner,  and  the  smell  of  brandy  about  him,  that  he  was 
the  tool  of  others.  All  the  way  to  the  parsonage  the  pris- 
oner was  pursued  by  a  loud  stream  of  invective,  which  made 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  99 

many  people  rise  from  their  beds  and  run  to  the  window  to 
inquire  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.  This  was  precisely 
what  the  originators  of  the  plot  desired,  since  if  it  could 
become  village  talk  that  the  Bailiff  was  allowed  to  go  home 
at  night,  this  might  be  reported  to  Arner,  to  the  prejudice  of 
the  pastor.  The  latter,  however,  wrote  of  the  affair  himself 
to  Arner,  as  he  was  just  then  sending  a  letter  to  him  by 
Michael,  in  the  bearer's  behalf. 

"When,  after  some  delay,  Michael  was  admitted  to  the  noble- 
man's presence,  Arner  measured  him  from  head  to  foot  with 
a  serious  glance,  and  then  bade  him  give  a  full  account  of 
the  robberies  which  had  taken  place  at  the  Castle  in  his 
grandfather's  time.  Michael  obeyed,  and  related  how  he, 
together  with  the  Bailiff's  servants,  had  taken  unthreshed 
grain  from  the  barns  of  the  Castle,  letting  it  down  with  ropes 
into  the  moat,  and  conveying  it  thence  to  the  tavern  ;  how  a 
hundred  times  by  night  he  had  removed  the  Castle  mark 
from  the  best  oak  and  fir  trees,  and  then  helped  the  peasants 
to  cut  them  down  as  their  own  property  ;  how  they  had  often 
played  at  the  tavern  with  the  Castle  servants  for  tools,  ropes 
or  baskets ;  how  at  the  present  day  many  peasants  were 
wearing  clothes  lined  with  stolen  sacks,  while  in  all  the 
houses  round  about  were  portions  of  wagons  and  ploughs, 
wine-casks,  etc.,  bearing  the  Castle  brand,  or  from  which 
this  had  been  cut ;  and  how  all  the  trades-people,  smith, 
locksmith,  wagoner,  carpenter,  joiner,  tailor  and  shoemaker, 
had  worked  for  the  Bailiff  without  wages,  in  consideration 
of  the  various  articles  he  could  procure  for  them  from  the 
Castle. 

Michael's  open,  ingenuous  manner,  and  the  frankness  with 
which  he  related  the  evil  practices  in  which  he  himself  had 
borne  a  part,  so  won  Arner's  confidence  that  he  conversed 
with  him  at  some  length  about  the  affairs  of  the  village,  and 
dismissed  him  finally  with  orders  to  make  out  a  list  of  all 
the  goods  that  had  been  stolen  from  the  Castle. 


100          LEONARD  AND  GEBTKUDE. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   NEW   BAILIFF   FINDS   HIS    OFFICE    A   PERPLEXING    ONE. 

MICHAEL  had  scarcely  departed  before  the  Bailiff  Meyer 
appeared.  He  returned  Arner's  friendly  greeting  with  so 
constrained  a  manner,  that  the  nobleman  said  to  himself 
with  a  sigh :  ' '  He  has  hardly  been  Bailiff  a  week,  and  looks 
already  as  if  he  could  betray  his  country !  " 

Meyer  soon  began  to  insinuate  that  there  would  be  many 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  dividing  the  common,  and  that  in 
his  humble  opinion  it  would  be  better  to  make  trial  first  of  a 
small  portion  of  it,  for  instance,  the  corner  next  the  forest. 

"  Which  corner  do  you  mean?  "  inquired  Arner. 

"The  uppermost  corner,  between  the  fir-trees  and  the 
hill." 

"  That  one?"  —  with  a  penetrating  look. 

"  Yes,  —  unless  your  Grace  would  prefer  another." 

4 'But"  (with  another  sharp  glance)  "you  are  speaking 
of  this  one?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  you  are  quite  in  earnest?  " 

' '  There  are  many  men  in  the  village  who  hold  this 
opinion." 

"  And  you  agree  with  them?" 

"Yes." 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  this  corner?" 

"Partially." 

"You  ought  to  know  it  thoroughly,  since  you  own  some 
land  adjoining." 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          101 

"  I  do  know  it  pretty  well,  gracious  Sir." 

*'  But  you  suppose  I  do  not?  " 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that." 

«« Of  what?" 

"  Of  your  not  knowing  it." 

"Would  you  have  recommended  it  to  me  if  you  had 
supposed  1  was  acquainted  with  it?" 

"  I  am  very  sorry." 

"For  what?" 

"  For  having  recommended  it  to  you." 

"And  why?" 

"  Because  you  seem  to  think  it  is  good  for  nothing." 

"  Don't  you  think  so  too  ?  " 

"I  —  can't  exactly  praise  it." 

"  Why,  then,  did  you  recommend  it  to  me? " 

"  The  overseers  were  all  agreed  that  I  must  do  it." 

"  And  what  was  their  object?  " 

"I  do  not  know." 

"  That  I  may  believe  or  not;  but  at  all  events,  one  thing 
is  settled,  —  not  only  the  corner,  but  the  whole  common, 
must  be  divided,  and  that  without  delay." 

"  Your  Grace  will  not  be  angry  if  I  say  one  word  more? " 
began  Meyer  anew. 

"  Certainly  not." 

"It  will  hardly  be  possible  to  divide  the  meadow  this 
summer." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  nobody  in  the  village  is  in  condition  to  keep  the 
cattle  in  the  stalls,  and  do  without  the  pasturage." 

" Is  fodder  scarce  in  your  village?" 

"Yes,  they  say  there  is  very  little,  and  a  great  many 
cattle." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'they  say'?  Don't  you  know 
certainly  ?  " 


102  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  Not  so  altogether  certainly,  gracious  Sir." 

"  Ah,  indeed !  But  you  probably  know  how  much  fodder 
you  have  yourself  ?  " 

"Well,  yes." 

"  Have  you  enough  to  be  able  to  keep  your  cattle  in  the 
stable?" 

"  I  can't  deny  that  I  have." 

"  And  the  harvests  have  been  so  good  this  last  year  that 
I  should  suppose  all  the  peasants  would  be  as  well  off  as 
you.  But  in  order  to  be  sure,  it  will  be  well  to  count  the 
cattle  and  measure  the  hay.  You  must  take  the  beadle  with 
you  to-day  and  do  this ;  then  we  shall  see  how  far  the  com- 
mon is  needed  this  summer." 

The  terrified  Meyer  still  had  one  more  promise  on  his 
conscience,  and  plucking  up  courage,  stammered  that  the 
pastor  had  been  letting  the  Bailiff  out  of  prison  at  night. 

"  Do  you  report  this  of  your  own  accord,  or  at  the  insti- 
gation of  others  ?  "  asked  Arner. 

After  some  hesitation  the  answer  came :  "  They  bade  me 
report  it." 

"Who?" 

"  The  overseers.** 

"Their  names?" 

Deadly  pale,  Meyer  gave  the  desired  information. 

"And  how,"  pursued  Arner,  "did  you  communicate  with 
these  gentlemen?  Did  you  see  them  separately,  or  were 
they  all  together,  when  they  gave  you  their  commands?" 

"  They  were  all  together." 

"Where?" 

"  At  Kienholz's  house." 

"  And  for  what  purpose?  " 

"  I  —  don't  exactly  know.     I  was  only  there  a  moment." 

"  But  I  suppose  you  know  what  they  were  doing  during 
that  moment  ?  " 


LEONABD  AND  GERTRUDE.  103 

"  Well,  yes,  —  they  were  trying  to  prevent  the  division  ot 
the  common." 

"And  you  allowed  yourself  to  be  used  as  a  tool,  and 
came  to  me  with  lies,  to  bring  about  this  end?  " 

The  Bailiff  stood  in  guilty  silence,  with  downcast  eyes. 
Arner  pitied  him,  and  said:  "Meyer,  as  this  is  your  first 
offence,  I  will  overlook  it;  but  beware  of  deceiving  me 
again !  Now  go,  and  with  the  beadle's  assistance,  do  what 
I  bade  you.  Bring  me  the  list  to-morrow." 

It  was  in  no  enviable  frame  of  mind  that  the  Bailiff  re- 
turned to  the  conclave  to  announce  the  result  of  his  media- 
tion. His  reception  was  not  such  as  to  make  him  desire  to 
prolong  his  stay,  so  he  set  forth  almost  immediately  in  pur- 
suit of  the  beadle,  without  suspecting  that  a  messenger  from 
the  indignant  landowners  had  preceded  him.  He  was  much 
surprised,  as  well  as  vexed,  to  learn  from  the  beadle's  little 
daughter  that  her  father  had  just  started  for  market,  and 
would  not  return  before  night.  He  was  at  first  suspicious, 
and  questioned  her  sharply,  but  the  little  maid  held  stoutly 
to  her  assertion,  and  not  until  the  baffled  magistrate  had 
turned  his  back  in  disgust,  did  she  burst  into  a  peal  of 
merry  laughter  at  the  face  of  the  new  Bailiff,  who  had 
looked  as  if  he  were  ready  to  cry,  simply  because  she  had 
not  been  able  to  find  her  father  behind  the  stove  ! 

The  discomfited  Meyer  returned  to  Kienholz's  house,  and 
told  the  overseers  that  one  of  them  must  help  him  in  the 
beadle's  place.  No  one,  however,  would  consent  to  perform 
this  office,  and  the  Bailiff  was  fairly  nonplussed.  At  length 
Hiigi  suggested  that  he  should  let  each  proprietor  make  a 
statement  of  the  amount  of  hay  and  the  number  of  cattle  he 
possessed.  The  Bailiff  reflected  a  moment,  and  then  said : 
"  Well,  only  the  statement  must  be  made  on  oath." 

"  Yes,  on  oath,  of  course  !  "  answered  the  peasants,  wink- 
ing at  each  other.  And  thus  the  required  list  was  finally 
completed. 


104  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

Early  in  the  morning  Meyer  carried  it  to  Arner,  explain- 
ing that  it  had  been  impossible  to  execute  his  commands  to 
the  letter,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  beadle. 

"Why  did  you  not  take  one  of  the  overseers  in  his 
place  ?  "  inquired  Arner. 

"  No  one  was  willing  to  come." 

"Did  you  tell  them  it  was  a  matter  of  moment  to  me, 
and  would  no  one  then  consent  to  aid  you  ?  " 

"  No,  Sir ;  all  that  I  could  say  was  in  vain." 

"Then  carry  this  list  back,  and  read  every  man's  state- 
ment to  him  aloud,  in  the  presence  of  two  of  the  overseers ; 
let  these  sign  as  witnesses,  and  then  bring  the  document 
back  to  me,  before  the  village  meeting  begins." 

The  peasants  were  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  idea  of  rati- 
fying their  statements  in  the  presence  of  witnesses;  but 
they  yielded  to  necessity,  and  returned  the  document  wit- 
nessed in  due  form.  When  Arner  received  it,  he  bade 
Meyer  take  the  beadle,  and  with  Michael  and  the  poulterer 
as  assistants,  go  immediately  from  house  to  house,  and 
make  out  a  fresh  list,  measuring  the  hay  and  counting  the 
cattle  with  care  and  precision.  He  caused  the  bells  to  be 
rung  to  assemble  the  meeting,  "  for,"  he  said,  "  I  would 
rather  the  proprietors  should  not  be  at  home  during  the 
counting  and  measuring ;  and  should  any  of  the  wives  or 
servants  oppose  your  entrance,  let  Flink  arrest  them,  and 
bring  them  here."  Arner  then  placed  a  guard  at  all  the 
entrances  to  the  square,  and  ordered  the  watchmen  on  no 
pretext  to  allow  any  one  to  depart  until  the  meeting  was 
pver. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  105 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A   CURIOUS    ASSEMBLY. 

THE  community  had  soon  assembled  near  the  linden-tree ; 
but  never  in  the  annals  of  Bonnal  had  the  peasants  con- 
ducted themselves  so  strangely.  Many  who  had  always 
stepped  proudly  crept  along  like  old  crones,  hanging  their 
heads ;  former  enemies  stood  side  by  side,  and  whispered 
confidentially  together ;  people  whose  tongues  had  been  wont 
to  wag  from  sunrise  to  sunset  were  silent  as  the  grave  ;  men 
who  had  always  donned  their  Sunday  clothes  before  going 
to  the  village  meeting  appeared  now  in  working  trousers  and 
overalls.  Most  of  them  sat  there  as  if  at  a  loss  what  to  say, 
and  many  a  man  asked  his  neighbor  two  or  three  times  if  he 
did  not  think  it  would  rain  before  night.  But  some  of  the 
overseers,  who  noticed  the  universal  panic,  put  a  bold  face 
on  the  matter,  and  began  to  talk  as  if  to  show  they  were  not 
afraid.  Finally  old  Trumpi,  who  had  never  in  his  life  been 
known  to  arrive  anywhere  in  season,  appeared  with  the  in- 
telligence that  the  Bailiff  and  the  beadle  were  walking  down 
toward  the  village,  in  company  with  Michael  and  the  poul- 
terer, and  were  carrying  with  them  paper,  ink  and  pens. 

This  news  spread  like  wildfire  through  all  the  benches, 
carrying  consternation  with  it.  It  was  but  a  few  moments 
before  one  man  discovered  he  had  forgotten  his  handker- 
chief, a  second,  that  his  tobacco  had  been  left  behind,  while 
a  third  found  it  imperatively  necessary  to  speak  with  his 
wife  a  minute,  and  a  fourth  remembered  he  had  left  some- 
thing out  which  might  be  stolen ;  one  even  had  the  nose- 


106  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

bleed,  —  in  short,  a  large  number  of  peasants  started  at  once 
on  the  homeward  road.  But  the  watchman  ordered  them 
back,  counselling  them  to  borrow  tobacco  and  handkerchiefs 
from  their  neighbors,  and  to  stanch  the  nose-bleed  this  time 
at  the  fountain  under  the  linden-tree. 

They  accordingly  returned  to  the  benches,  and  the  next 
moment  their  anxiety  was  increased  by  the  command  that 
the  overseers  and  landed  proprietors,  seventeen  in  number, 
should  go  immediately  to  Arner  at  the  parsonage.  In  some 
trepidation  they  obeyed  the  summons,  but  it  was  in  vain  that 
the  nobleman  tried  to  induce  them  to  a  voluntary  confession. 
He  had  hardly  done  speaking  when  Kalberleder  burst  out : 
"  We  understand  neither  your  words  nor  your  accusation ! " 

"  Who  are  the  'we'  in  whose  name  you  speak?"  returned 
Arner. 

"  Oh,  nobody,  —  I  speak  only  in  my  own  name." 

"No,  Kalberleder,  you  have  come  to  an  agreement  before- 
hand, and  that  is  why  the  '  we  '  slipped  out.  But  you  ask 
what  my  charge,  is  ?  Then  hear  it :  you  have  embezzled  the 
public  property,  tampered  with  the  public  accounts,  and 
shown  yourselves  faithless  and  perjured  with  respect  to 
everything  which  came  into  your  hands  !  " 

This  was  certainly  explicit,  and  much  worse  than  they 
had  expected.  They  looked  at  each  other  a  while  in  silence. 
Then  one  of  them  plucked  up  courage  to  demand  a  judicial 
investigation,  and  the  others  followed  his  lead,  protesting 
their  innocence. 

"  It  is  enough !  "  said  Arner.  "From  this  moment  you  are 
prisoners.  You  will  now  return  with  a  guard  to  your  places 
in  the  meeting,  but  are  forbidden  to  exchange  a  word  with 
any  one.  Away  !  " 

A  deadly  silence  fell  upon  the  assembly  as  the  seventeen 
men  entered  under  guard.  Arner  followed,  and  bade  the  rest 
of  the  people  be  seated,  while  the  culprits  stood  before  him. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  107 

He  then  ordered  the  clerk  to  read  aloud  the  list  of  articles 
which  had  been  stolen  from  the  Castle  by  the  prisoners. 
He  read :  "  In  the  stable  of  Judge  Kienast  are  two  wheels 
which  were  stolen  from  the  Castle ;  Kalberleder's  wheel- 
barrow was  stolen  from  the  Castle,"  etc.  Sixteen  of  the 
seventeen  men  were  implicated  in  the  charges,  and  they 
stood  there,  terrified  and  confused,  not  heeding  Arner's 
admonition,  joined  to  the  exhortations  of  their  friends,  that 
they  should  confess  their  guilt.  But  the  honest  old  Renold, 
who  had  long  watched  the  evil  practices  of  his  colleagues 
with  a  heavy  heart,  stood  forth  pale  and  trembling,  and  thus 
spoke:  "Sire,  I  am  an  old  gray-headed  man,  and  God 
knows  that  I  have  never  had  any  pleasure  in  the  wickedness 
prevailing  among  us  ;  but  your  charges  are  quite  true." 

11  Old  man,"  Arner  replied ;  "  your  gray  hairs  fill  me  with 
compassion.  I  well  know  that  you  have  only  erred  in  keeping 
silence  regarding  the  evil  practices  of  the  rest,  and  it  grieves 
me  that  you  have  been  associated  with  people  who  refuse  to 
acknowledge  their  manifest  guilt."  He  turned  angrily  to  the 
others  as  he  spoke,  but  their  spirit  was  at  last  broken,  and 
sinking  on  their  knees,  they  begged  for  mercy. 

At  this  moment,  the  men  who  had  been  sent  to  the  village 
to  measure  the  hay  and  count  the  cattle,  appeared  with  their 
new  list.  Arner  compared  it  carefully  with  the  previous 
one,  and  found  that  twenty -two  peasants  had  made  false 
statements  regarding  their  possessions,  including  the  whole 
sixteen  who  were  on  their  knees  before  him.  He  caused  the 
other  six  to  be  summoned  from  their  places,  and  four  at 
once  presented  themselves.  The  sacrist  and  the  school- 
master, however,  lingered.  They  were  no  landed  pro- 
prietors, properly  speaking,  but  had  made  fraudulent  state- 
ments about  their  trifling  belongings,  aping  the  wealthy 
peasants  out  of  sheer  pride. 

"  Are  these  two  not  here? "  inquired  Arner. 


108          LEONABD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  Indeed  they  are  ! "  cried  out  some  of  the  men  from  the 
furthermost  benches. 

"  Who  says  we  are  not?  "  said  the  sacrist,  advancing  to 
the  front  with  the  schoolmaster,  and  making  a  reverence  in 
due  form.  Then  with  folded  hands  and  sanctimoniously 
upturned  eyes,  he  began:  "Ah,  gracious  Sir,  I  have  not  a 
handful  of  fodder  except  what  comes  from  the  poor  little 
churchyard;  and  I  had  the  misfortune  to  miscalculate  in 
regard  to  the  petty  bit  of  hay." 

"  What  was  the  amount  of  your  mistake?"  asked  Arner, 
after  eying  him  searchingly  for  a  few  moments. 

"  One  cord." 

"And  how  much  fodder  did  you  get  from  your  church- 
yard?" 

"  They  say  now  it  is  two  cords." 

"  Indeed?    But  I  suppose  what  they  say  is  true?  " 

"Well— yes." 

"  And  how  much  did  you  state  you  had?" 

"  One  cord." 

"Of  all  the  rascals  here,  I  doubt  if  there  is  one  who  has 
made  a  mistake  of  half  the  whole  amount,  as  you  have 
done ! " 

The  sacrist  being  silenced,  the  schoolmaster  now  begged 
permission  to  say  a  word,  and  proceeded  to  declare  that  one 
of  his  two  cows  had  been  taken  from  his  barn  a  few  days 
ago,  without  his  knowledge.  "  I  am  very  sorry,"  he  added, 
"but  I  quite  forgot  that  the  butcher  of  Rebstal  had  come 
after  her." 

"  You  must  suffer  from  a  poor  memory,"  remarked  Arner. 

"  Yes,  Sir,  for  some  time  past ;  and  then  my  wife  takes 
more  care  of  the  barn ;  I  am  busy  with  the  school." 

"  Then  you  ought  to  have  let  your  wife  make  the  state- 
ment about  the  number  of  the  cattle  ;  or  you  ought  to  have 
gone  into  the  barn  to  see  whether  you  had  two  cows  or 
one." 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  109 

The  cattle-dealer  Stoffel  here  arose  and  said  :  "But,  indeed, 
gracious  Sir,  I  am  quite  innocent,  for  I  am  expecting  the 
cattle  every  day  which  I  mentioned." 

"Nobody  asked  you  how  many  you  were  expecting,  but 
how  many  you  had,"  returned  Arner. 

"  That  is  true,  Sir ;  but  as  I  was  expecting  the  cattle  every 
hour,  I  had  to  take  account  of  them  for  the  pasturage." 

"  You  said  there  were  eight  more  than  you  really  have, 
did  you  not?  " 

"  Your  Grace  is  right." 

u  From  whom  did  you  purchase  them?  " 

"  They  are  coming  from  different  places." 

"  When  do  you  expect  them?" 

"  In  three  days  at  latest." 

"All  eight?" 

"  Quite  certainly." 

"  Your  plea  is  in  order,  if  it  is  true." 

Here  four  others  arose  with  a  similar  story,  and  finally  the 
schoolmaster  hopped  up,  declaring  that  he  was  also  expecting 
a  cow,  for  he  had  only  exchanged  his  for  another.  Then 
Arner  said :  "  Neighbors,  you  must  not  forget  that  you  were 
all  convicted  of  dishonesty  and  deceit,  even  before  your  cattle 
or  your  hay  were  thought  of ;  and  you  will  find  it  quite  natural 
that  I  should  take  measures  to  convince  myself  that  you  are 
speaking  the  truth.  You  will  remain  here  in  the  Castle  three 
days,  until  your  cattle  arrive." 

An  awful  silence  ensued.  "What  is  the  matter?"  in- 
quired Arner. 

For  a  moment  there  was  no  reply,  and  then  Stoffel  faltered : 
"  My  —  my  purchases  are  not  yet  quite  in  order." 

"  Did  you  not  just  say  that  all  eight  of  your  cattle  would 
certainly  come  by  the  day  after  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  I  can  go  home,  I  am  sure  they  will." 

"  But  if  you  stay,  seven  will  surely  come?  " 


110  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

No  answer. 

"  Look  here,  if  only  six  come,  I  will  be  satisfied." 

Again  there  was  no  reply. 

"  Well,  surely  three  or  four  will  come,  at  least?" 

"  All  eight,  if  I  can  send  word." 

"What  sort  of  word?" 

"  That  they  shall  be  sent  to  me." 

"  And  without  this  message  not  a  single  one  will  come?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  suppose  there  will." 

"  Neither  do  I,  nor  have  I  thought  so  at  all,  any  more  than 
I  believe  that  the  schoolmaster  has  exchanged  his  cow  with 
the  butcher."  And  Arner  proceeded  to  talk  seriously  to  all 
those  present  about  the  evils  of  deceit  and  lying. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          Ill 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

AKNER   METES    OUT   JUSTICE,    AND   A   BONG   WOMAN   ASKS 
FORGIVENESS. 

ATTRACTED  by  a  sound  of  loud  talking  from  the  benches, 
Arner  perceived  that  the  peasants  were  beginning  to  express 
their  condemnation  of  the  poor  malefactors  kneeling  before 
him.  "  I  wish  I  could  believe,"  he  said,  "  that  those  of  you 
who  are  sitting  on  the  benches  were  better  than  these  men  in 
front ;  but  I  know  only  too  well  that  there  is  hardly  a  house 
in  the  village  which  does  not  contain  many  articles  belonging 
to  the  Castle,  and  that  some  of  you  are  even  sitting  here 
before  me  in  coats  that  are  lined  with  grain-bags  from  my 
store-house." 

The  words  had  hardly  left  his  lips  before  Hartknopf  laid 
Ms  coat  tightly  together  over  his  knees,  and  grew  red  as 
fire.  His  conduct  was  so  remarkable  that  it  drew  the  atten- 
tion of  his  neighbors,  who  turned  over  the  lappets  of  his 
coat  to  inspect  the  lining.  Such  a  burst  of  laughter  arose 
that  Arner  inquired  the  cause. 

"Hartknopf  has  the  Castle  mark  on  his  coat-lining!" 
shouted  one  man. 

"  I  bought  this  lining  ten  years  ago  !  "  cried  Hartknopf  in 
a  rage. 

"  But  this  is  the  brand  of  the  new  sacks,  which  are  under 
five  years  old  !  "  exclaimed  another. 

"If  I  were  you,"  said  Arner,  "  I  would  restore  quiet  to 
the  assembly  by  carrying  my  coat  home."  And  with  this 
suggestion  the  old  hypocrite  was  forced  to  comply. 


112          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

Arner  commanded  the  beadle  to  seat  twelve  of  the  poorest 
old  men  in  the  parish  in  the  places  of  the  overseers,  and 
compelled  the  twenty-two  to  kneel  down  before  them  and 
publicly  beg  for  pardon.  The  clerk  read  aloud  the  false 
and  correct  statement  of  each  man  regarding  his  cattle  and 
hay,  and  he  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  the  truth  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  whole  community.  Arner  then  dismissed  the 
assembly  until  afternoon. 

At  the  second  session  he  brought  up  his  project  about  the 
division  of  the  common,  showing  the  peasants  that  by  em- 
ploying the  abundant  springs  he  had  discovered  to  irrigate 
their  land,  a  large  part  of  the  pasture-ground  might  be  con- 
verted into  excellent  meadow-land,  so  that  each  member  of 
the  community  could  derive  an  income  of  three  or  four  hun- 
dred florins  from  his  portion.  Just  as  the  inhabitants  of 
Bonnal  were  beginning  to  exchange  their  fear  of  their  master 
for  something  approaching  confidence,  the  poulterer  of  Arn- 
heim  appeared,  with  complaints  regarding  his  recent  treat- 
ment in  the  village.  Arner  noticed  that  many  of  the  peasants 
looked  ashamed,  and  some  of  them  said  aloud:  "The  poul- 
terer's sorceries  will  soon  be  forgotten,  since  the  meadow  is 
divided ! " 

Without  heeding  these  remarks,  the  nobleman  said  gravely : 
"  Every  one  of  you  may  believe  what  he  pleases,  but  I  must 
prevent  you  from  wronging  others  in  consequence  of  your 
belief.  If  any  man  has  a  complaint  against  the  poulterer,  let 
him  come  forward  and  state  it,  and  I  will  see  that  justice  is 
done."  But  no  one  spoke.  Arner  went  on  :  "  Your  silence 
does  not  satisfy  me.  I  could  have  thought  some  of  the 
accused  here  before  me  might  feel  moved  to  confess  that 
this  treatment  of  the  poulterer  was  all  a  plot  to  prevent  the 
division  of  the  common." 

The  overseers  looked  at  each  other,  and  Renold  besought 
them  to  make  the  required  confession.  For  the  first  time  in 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  113 

their  lives,  they  followed  his  advice  ;  and  thus  the  affair  with 
the  poulterer  was  finally  ended 

While  they  were  still  sitting  beneath  the  linden-tree,  the 
pastor's  servant  came  to  say  that  the  Bailiff's  wife  was  con- 
vinced she  had  been  poisoned  by  Treufaug's  medicines,  and 
petitioned  that  her  husband  might  be  allowed  to  come  to  her 
before  she  died.  The  benevolent  look  faded  from  Arner's 
face,  and  in  a  terrible  voice,  which  had  never  been  heard 
from  him  before,  he  commanded  the  beadle  to  go  to  the  house 
of  the  so-called  physician,  and  bring  him  hither  without  de- 
lay. The  beadle,  who  was  no  friend  to  the  quack  doctor, 
soon  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  Treufaug,  standing 
at  the  window  in  his  wig,  had  sent  word  that  he  was  lying 
sick  in  bed  and  could  not  come,  "  Well,  then,"  said  Arner 
with  a  bitter  laugh,  "  bring  the  man  to  me  on  a  litter,  that 
the  journey  may  not  harm  him."  Dozens  of  the  younger 
men  sprang  at  once  to  do  his  bidding. 

Now  after  the  beadle's  departure,  Treufaug's  mind  was 
ill  at  ease,  and  taking  his  old  spy-glass  from  the  wall,  he 
levelled  it  upon  the  public  square  below.  He  could  see  the 
sarcastic  expression  of  Arner's  face,  and  it  made  him  trem- 
ble. Presently  he  observed  that  the  nobleman  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  number  of  people  with  litters,  and  felt  reas- 
sured, thinking  that  something  else  must  be  on  foot.  He 
had  just  returned  from  the  cellar  with  a  bottle  of  wine,  with 
which  he  proposed  to  revive  himself  after  his  fright,  when  he 
heard  a  loud  knocking  at  the  door,  and  looking  from  the 
window,  beheld  a  litter  surrounded  by  a  large  crowd.  All 
resistance  and  protestations  were  in  vain  ;  he  was  obliged  to 
place  himself  upon  the  mattress,  and  allow  himself  to  be 
covered  with  the  upper  feather-bed,  and  thus  was  carried  in 
triumph  through  the  village. 

When  the  litter  was  set  down  under  the  linden-tree,  and 
the  indignant  physician,  springing  from  the  bed,  began  to 


114  LEONAKD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

protest  against  the  treatment  he  had  received,  an  uncontrok 
lable  laughter  broke  out  among  the  people,  and  even  Arner 
himself  could  hardly  command  a  sober  face.  Presently, 
however,  the  nobleman  restrained  his  mirth,  and  said  seri- 
ously :  "I  have  previously  forbidden  you  to  use  your  hang- 
man's drops ;  but  I  now  revoke  that  command.  Use  them 
on  as  many  people  as  are  willing  to  be  killed  by  you ;  but  if 
anybody  dies  on  your  hands,  you  must  make  his  grave.  And 
since  you  are  old  and  short  of  breath,  so  that  you  can  hardly 
bear  the  labor  of  digging,  you  can  lend  some  day-laborer 
your  gray  coat  with  the  many  buttons,  and  your  black  wig ; 
then  you  shall  sit  by  and  look  on,  while  he  digs  the  grave  in 
your  stead."  With  this  sentence  he  dismissed  the  offender, 
and  the  meeting  soon  after  came  to  an  end. 

The  good  pastor  hastened  to  the  Bailiff's  dying  wife,  and 
sat  awhile  silent  beside  her,  attentive  to  her  every  want,  and 
with  a  face  full  of  tender  compassion.  Presently  she  seemed 
to  suffer  less  pain,  and  he  ventured  to  express  a  wish  already 
hovering  on  her  lips,  that  she  would  see  all  the  poor  people 
whom  she  and  her  husband  had  wronged,  and  ask  their  for- 
giveness before  her  death.  From  her  bedside  the  good  man 
went  to  see  Treufaug,  and  partly  by  the  threat  of  a  post 
mortem  examination,  but  still  more  by  kindly  persuasion  and 
exhoftation,  he  induced  the  misguided  doctor  to  admit  that 
he  had  no  sure  knowledge  of  the  power  and  effect  of  his 
drugs,  and  obtained  from  him  the  promise  that  he  would 
never  use  them  again  on  his  own  responsibility. 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  poor  people  assembled  at  the 
door  of  the  dying  woman.  She  was  already  awake,  and  it 
was  Gertrude's  gentle  hand  which  smoothed  her  pillow  and 
wiped  the  sweat  from  her  brow.  The  pastor  went  out  and 
told  the  assembled  men,  women  and  children,  nearly  forty 
in  number,  to  come  in  as  quietly  as  possible.  Most  of  them 
drew  off  their  heavy  wooden  shoes,  and  entering  the  sick-room 


LEONABD  AND  GERTRUDE.  115 

on  tiptoe,  they  all  answered  the  silent  greeting  of  their 
hostess  with  a  friendly  nod,  and  sat  down  noiselessly  on  the 
chairs  and  benches  which  Gertrude  had  arranged  for  them. 
The  Bailiff's  wife  addressed  her  visitors,  thanking  them  for 
complying  with  her  request,  and  begging  their  forgiveness 
for  all  the  evil  they  had  suffered  at  her  hands.  She  closed 
with  a  petition  that  all  would  utter  a  prayer  for  the  welfare 
of  her  soul,  and  sank  back  unconscious  on  her  pillow.  The 
pastor  fell  on  his  knees  and  prayed  silently,  while  the  eyes 
of  all  present  were  filled  with  tears  of  pity  and  forgiveness. 
Then  at  a  sign  from  the  clergyman,  they  silently  withdrew 
from  the  chamber  of  death. 


116          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PLANS  OF  REGENERATION  IN  BONNAL. 

As  the  Sunday  approached  when  Arner  had  decreed  that 
Hummel  should  be  exposed  to  the  view  of  the  whole  congre- 
gation, while  the  pastor  held  up  his  previous  life  as  a  warn- 
ing to  those  present,  the  prisoner  expressed  the  utmost  horror 
of  this  penalty,  declaring  that  he  would  rather  have  his  pun- 
ishment at  the  gallows  repeated,  than  stand  under  the  pulpit 
to  be  the  laughing-stock  of  the  town.  He  represented  that 
such  a  ceremony  could  neither  dispose  him  to  thoughts  of 
repentance,  nor  have  a  beneficial  effect  upon  the  spectators. 
The  pastor  was  finally  so  moved  by  his  entreaties,  as  well  as 
convinced  of  the  reasonableness  of  his  plea,  that  he  inter- 
ceded with  Arner,  and  induced  him  to  remit  the  sentence.1 
Accordingly,  the  clergyman  merely  took  Hummel's  life  as  a 
text,  preaching  a  stirring  sermon  against  the  wickedness  and 
corruption  which  had  been  fostered  so  long  in  their  midst, 
and  which  were  still  rife,  in  almost  equal  measure,  in  the 
hearts  of  many  of  his  listeners. 

This  discourse  everywhere  made  a  profound  impression ; 
the  peasants  could  talk  of  nothing  else  on  the  way  home,  and 
Arner,  pressing  the  good  pastor's  hand,  thanked  him  heartily 
for  his  edifying  words.  He  expressed,  at  the  same  time,  an 
earnest  desire  to  labor  for  the  improvement  of  the  village. 

1  In  the  earlier  editions  of  this  work,  the  original  plan  of  the 
Bailiff's  punishment  was  adhered  to.  It  is  a  sign  of  advancing  civili- 
zation that  in  the  edition  of  1819  Arner's  sentence  was  revoked  as 
above. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  117 

and  asked  the  clergyman  if  he  could  recommend  an  upright, 
able  man  from  among  the  people,  who  could  help  him  in 
furthering  his  designs.  The  parson  mentioned  at  once  the 
spinner  known  as  Cotton  Meyer,  and  proposed  they  should 
visit  him  and  his  sister  that  afternoon.  They  were  accom- 
panied by  the  Lieutenant  Glulphi,  one  of  Arner's  aids  in 
regulating  the  economic  conditions  of  his  government. 

Cotton  Me}*er  was  sitting  at  his  door  with  a  child  in  his 
lap,  when  the  three  gentlemen  approached,  and  had  no  sus- 
picion that  they  were  seeking  him,  until  they  paused  before 
his  garden  gate.  Then  he  went  to  meet  them  with  so  calm 
and  dignified  a  bearing  that  Glulphi  did  not  give  him  his 
hand,  as  he  usually  did  to  the  peasants,  and  Arner  addressed 
him  less  familiarly  than  was  his  wont  when  speaking  to  his 
dependants. 

The  visitors  were  about  to  seat  themselves  on  the  bench 
under  the  apple-tree ;  but  Meyer  led  them  into  the  parlor, 
where  his  sister  was  sitting  by  the  table,  nodding  over  the 
open  Bible,  as  was  her  custom  on  Sunday  afternoons.  She 
started  up  with  a  cry  as  the  door  opened,  and  straightening 
her  cap,  closed  the  Bible ;  then,  taking  a  sponge,  she  mois- 
tened it  in  a  tin  hand-basin  which  shone  like  silver,  and 
erased  the  chalk  figures  with  which  her  brother  had  covered 
the  table,  despite  the  remonstrance  of  the  strangers,  who 
feared  that  Meyer  might  have  further  use  for  his  reckoning. 
After  wiping  the  table  carefully,  she  brought  a  large  fine 
linen  table-cloth,  and  laid  new  tin  plates,  with  knives,  forks 
and  heavy  silver  spoons  upon  it. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  inquired  her  guests ;  "we  have 
already  dined." 

"I  suppose  so,"  answered  Maria ;  "but  since  you  have 
come  into  a  peasant's  house,  you  must  take  kindly  to  our 
peasant  ways."  Running  into  the  kitchen,  she  returned  with 
two  plates  of  little  cakes  and  a  fine  large  ham,  and  Arner, 


118  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

Gliilphi  and  the  pastor  seated  themselves  good-naturedly 
before  the  shining  dishes. 

"When  the  visitors  began  to  praise  the  house,  the  garden 
and  the  whole  establishment,  Maria  remarked  that  twenty 
years  ago  they  had  been  among  the  poorest  in  the  village. 
"  I  know  it,"  said  Arner,  "  and  I  wonder  at  your  prosperity 
the  more,  as  the  weavers  and  spinners  have  usually  turned 
out  the  most  good-for-nothing  people  in  the  country." 

Meyer  was  forced  to  admit  that  this  was  true,  but  denied 
that  the  cause  lay  in  the  industry  itself.  The  trouble  was, 
he  said,  that  these  poor  people  were  not  in  the  habit  of  laying 
up  anything  from  their  earnings,  and  led  wretched,  aimless 
lives.  He  felt  sure  that  Arner  might  find  many  ways  of 
winning  the  hearts  of  the  people,  so  as  to  lead  them  into 
better  paths,  and  suggested,  as  one  expedient,  that  he  should 
promise  to  every  child,  which  up  to  its  twentieth  year  should 
annually  lay  aside  ten  florins  from  its  earnings,  a  field  free 
from  tithes.  "  But,"  went  on  Meyer,  "  after  all,  we  can  do 
very  little  with  the  people,  unless  the  next  generation  is  to 
have  a  very  different  training  from  that  our  schools  furnish. 
The  school  ought  really  to  stand  in  the  closest  connection 
with  the  life  of  the  home,  instead  of,  as  now,  in  strong  con- 
tradiction to  it." 

Gliilphi  joined  in  the  conversation  with  eagerness,  and 
argued  that  a  true  school  should  develop  to  the  fullest  extent 
all  the  faculties  of  the  child's  nature.  The  question  next 
arose,  how  such  a  school  could  be  established  in  Bonnal. 
Cotton  Meyer,  when  appealed  to,  rejoined:  "I  know  a 
spinning-woman  in  the  village  who  understands  it  far  better 
than  I " ;  and  he  went  on  to  tell  the  others  such  things  of 
Gertrude's  little  school  and  its  effects  upon  her  children,  that 
they  resolved  to  visit  her  and  examine  her  method  for  them- 
selves. They  also  spoke  of  the  corruption  prevailing  in  the 
village,  and  discussed  the  best  method  of  choosing  a  good 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  119 

bailiff.  Cotton  Meyer  showed  himself  through  it  all  a  man 
of  such  clear  judgment  and  practical  common  sense,  that  his 
guests  left  him  with  a  feeling  of  respect  almost  approaching 
veneration. 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXHI. 

MUCH   APPREHENSION   AND   ONE    PEACEFUL   HOME. 

AFTER  the  morning  service,  Arner  had  given  orders  to  the 
beadle  to  announce  in  the  village  that  on  the  following 
Thursday  the  common  would  be  divided,  and  on  Friday 
every  one  who  was  in  Hummel' s  debt  must  settle  accounts 
with  him  under  the  linden-tree.  All  Bonnal  was  panic- 
stricken  at  this  news,  and  the  good  impression  made  by  the 
sermon  vanished  as  quickly  as  it  had  come.  As  Cotton 
Meyer's  sister  walked  along  the  street,  she  saw  groups  of 
frightened-looking  spinning-girls  putting  their  heads  together, 
and  when  she  addressed  them,  the  greater  number  cast  down 
their  eyes  and  made  no  answer.  After  a  while,  one  or  two 
ventured  to  stammer  that  they  owed  money  to  Hummel,  and 
must  go  under  the  linden  on  Friday  ;  then,  gaining  courage, 
many  of  them  seized  her  hands,  imploring  her  to  intercede 
for  them  with  their  parents,  who  knew  nothing  of  their 
debts. 

But  it  was  by  no  means  the  children  alone  who  looked 
forward  with  apprehension  to  the  day  of  reckoning ;  the 
parents  were  in  many  cases  in  a  similar  situation.  One 
woman  had  pawned  a  garment  which  her  husband  missed 
from  the  wash  ;  another  had  carried  a  cloak  to  Hummel,  and 
then  asserted  that  a  beggar  had  stolen  it.  Most  pathetic  of 
all  was  the  despair  of  the  so-called  "Pious  Barbara,"  who 
was  so  overcome  with  the  shame  in  store  for  her,  that  she 
privately  resolved  to  send  a  poor  woman  of  the  same  name 
in  her  place  on  Friday. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          121 

Gertrude's  house  was  again  almost  the  only  one  in  the  vil- 
lage which  was  undisturbed  by  dark  forebodings.  The 
parents  spoke  together  with  joyful  emotion  of  the  morning's 
sermon,  and  Gertrude  read  several  chapters  aloud  from  the 
Bible,  beside  singing  a  hymn  with  the  children.  After  the 
afternoon  service,  the  whole  family  gathered  about  the  hearth, 
for  it  had  grown  chilly.  As  they  sat  there,  Gertrude  said 
with  tears  in  her  eyes:  "  Our  single  aim,  after  all,  is  that 
we  may  be  all  together  in  eternity  as  we  are  now." 

Leonard  rejoined :  "  Our  being  so  together  on  earth, 
as  we  now  are,  will  surely  lead  to  our  being  together  in 
heaven." 

And  little  Harry  cried  :  "  Yes,  how  beautiful  it  is  to  sit  so 
around  the  hearth !  Say,  mother,  don't  people  grow  good, 
when  they  sit  together  so,  and  talk  of  God,  and  pray  and 
sing?"  The  domestic  hearth  was  sacred  to  the  ancients, 
but  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  one  has  ever  made  a  better 
eulogy  upon  it  than  our  little  friend  Harry. 

It  seemed,  in  truth,  as  if  that  humble  fireside  grew  daily 
more  blessed.  Everybody  had  thought  that,  as  soon  as 
Leonard  found  it  possible  to  earn  money,  he  would  fall  back 
into  his  old  ways.  But  it  was  not  so.  He  rose  early, 
cleaned  out  the  stall,  milked  the  cow,  and  did  many  things 
he  had  previously  left  to  his  wife,  and  went  off  merrily  to  his 
work,  with  the  children's  morning  hymn  ringing  in  his  ears. 
When  he  reached  the  churchyard,  to  be  sure,  his  cheerful 
mood  would  usually  vanish,  for  although  the  apprentices 
were  tolerably  faithful,  most  of  the  day-laborers  were  lazy 
and  good-for-nothing,  and  made  their  master  much  trouble. 

Still,  his  home  joys  compensated  for  all  the  annoyances 
which  befell  him.  In  the  evening  he  helped  his  oldest  son 
to  build  a  Tower  of  Babel,  such  as  was  pictured  in  his 
grandmother's  Bible,  out  of  a  heap  of  clay ;  and  taught  him 
to  calculate  the  amount  of  lime  and  stone  and  sand  necessary 


122          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

to  construct  a  given  length  of  wall.  One  day  he  bought 
Nicholas  a  mason's  hod  and  apron,  and  no  prince  was  ever 
prouder  at  the  first  wearing  of  his  crown,  than  the  mason's 
boy,  when  he  donned  the  implements  of  his  future  calling. 

Usually,  when  Leonard  came  home,  he  found  Rudy's  chil- 
dren in  the  house.  They  came  every  day  to  learn  to  spin, 
and  the  love  and  patience  with  which  Gertrude  bore  with 
these  disorderly  and  untrained  little  ones,  was  almost  past 
belief.  Their  eyes  were  often  anywhere  but  on  their  yarn, 
so  that  this  would  now  be  too  thick,  and  now  too  thin. 
When  they  had  spoiled  it,  they  would  watch  for  a  moment 
when  Gertrude  was  not  looking,  and  throw  it  out  of  the 
window  by  the  handful,  until  they  found  that  she  discovered 
the  trick  when  she  weighed  their  work  at  night.  Rudy's 
children  all  declared  at  the  outset  that  spinning  was  very 
difficult,  but  Leonard's  little  Harry  laughed  at  them,  and 
once,  when  his  mother  was  not  in  the  room,  he  bade  one  of 
the  others  bind  his  eyes  ;  then,  seating  himself  at  the  wheel, 
he  spun  away  as  briskly  as  before.  "  We  wouldn't  have 
believed  it !  "  cried  Rudy's  children  in  astonishment. 

"  Oh,  what  you  can't  do  blindfold,  you  can't  do  at  all!" 
remarked  Master  Harry. 

"Learn  to  spin  first  with  the  use  of  your  eyes,"  said 
Gertrude  laughing,  as  she  entered  the  room  and  learned 
what  had  transpired.  And  it  was  not  long  before  all  the 
children,  except  the  oldest  girl,  were  completely  accustomed 
to  the  order  which  reigned  in  the  mason's  household. 

Gertrude's  kindness  to  Rudy  was  not  limited  to  his  chil- 
dren. Not  a  day  passed  that  she  did  not  go  to  his  house 
and  see  that  everything  about  the  premises  was  in  order ;  if 
it  was  not,  she  took  hold  herself  to  remedy  the  defect,  which 
so  put  the  good  man  to  shame  that  he  used  to  run  about  and 
examine  every  nook  and  corner,  before  the  hour  of  her 
accustomed  visit.  Rudy  also  took  more  pains  about  his 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          123 

clothes  and  person,  and  whitewashed  his  smoky  little  room, 
beside  decorating  it  with  prints  of  the  Crucifixion,  the 
Madonna  and  Child,  St.  Nepomuk,  the  Emperor  Joseph  II., 
the  King  of  Prussia,  and  a  black  and  white  hussar,  all  of 
which  he  bought  for  the  purpose  at  the  village  fair.  Gertrude 
told  the  children  they  must  not  put  then1  fingers  on  the  beau- 
tiful pictures,  else  these  would  grow  black.  But  this  injunc- 
tion was  not  pleasing  to  the  little  boys,  and  Master  Rudy 
cried  out :  "  There's  somebody  you  can't  forbid  making  them 
black ! " 

"  Who  is  that?  "  asked  his  father. 

"  The  flies.  You  know  they  made  our  mother's  great 
cross  and  Jacob's  Ladder  so  black  that  we  couldn't  read  a 
word  on  them  1 " 


124          LEONAKD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

WOMAN'S  ARTIFICE  AGAINST  WOMAN. 

THE  more  Gertrude  visited  Rudy,  and  occupied  herself 
with  his  children,  the  more  she  became  convinced  that  the 
present  state  of  things  could  not  last  forever.  "  He  must 
have  another  wife  ! "  she  exclaimed  ;  and  taking  counsel  with 
herself,  she  could  think  of  no  one  in  the  village  better  fitted 
for  him  than  the  sister  of  the  Bailiff  Meyer.  One  day,  while 
she  was  at  Rudy's  house,  she  chanced  to  see  the  object 
of  her  designs  coming  up  the  street,  and  running  to  the 
window,  she  called  out  good  day  to  her.  Meyer's  sister 
returned  the  greeting,  and  asked :  ' '  Are  you  at  home  in  that 
house  ? " 

"  For  the  present,  but  only  till  some  better  person  takes 
my  place.  —  But  do  come  in,  and  see  what  good  order  Rudy's 
house  is  in." 

Nothing  loath,  her  friend  sprang  up  stairs  at  a  bound,  and 
was  filled  with  admiration  at  the  new  arrangement  of  the 
room.  Gertrude  led  her  out  to  the  stable  to  see  the  beauti- 
ful cow  which  Arner  had  given  Rudy.  "  I  never  saw  a  finer 
one  !  "  exclaimed  the  unsuspecting  visitor  ;  and  stroking  the 
creature,  she  added :  "It  must  be  a  pleasure  to  milk  such  a 
cow  as  that." 

"  Would  you  like  to  milk  such  a  one?"  asked  Gertrude 
archly. 

"Indeed  I  would!  " 

"  But  you  have  two  fine  ones  at  home  "  —  and  the  mason's 
wife  turned  away  to  conceal  a  smile. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          125 

"  They  are  nothing  at  all  in  comparison  with  this  one," 
said  her  friend  innocently,  giving  the  cow  a  handful  of 
fodder. 

Then  Gertrude  led  the  way  past  the  long  row  of  fruit- 
trees,  bending  beneath  their  heavy  burden,  and  over  the 
thickest  grass  of  Rudy's  beautiful  meadow.  Meyer's  sister 
praised  everything,  and  presently  asked  where  the  children 
were.  "  They,  too,  are  quite  different  from  what  they  were 
once,"  said  Gertrude  ;  "  I  will  show  them  to  you." 

"  And  is  their  father,  too,  different?" 

*'  That  he  is  !  Why,  you  would  hardly  know  him,  with  his 
hair  and  beard  and  clothes  all  in  order." 

"  That  will  be  a  good  thing,  if  he  ever  wants  to  marry 
again,"  said  the  visitor,  still  unsuspicious. 

With  this  they  went  back  into  the  house,  whither  the 
children  had  just  returned.  Gertrude  took  little  Rudy  by 
the  hand,  and  smoothed  back  the  golden  curls  which  hung 
down  over  the  broad  white  forehead ;  the  boy  leaned  back 
upon  her  arm,  and  gazed  with  great  blue  eyes  at  the  stranger. 
Nanny  was  a  delicate  child,  but  so  beautiful  with  her  deep- 
set,  flashing  eyes,  and  raven  hair  fine  and  smooth  as  silk, 
that  the  visitor  exclaimed  of  her  own  accord :  ' '  This  one  is 
an  angel ! " 

"  And  Lizzie  will  be  a  fine  girl  some  day,  I  trust,"  said 
Gertrude  of  the  oldest. 

"  She  hasn't  so  happy  a  face  as  the  others,"  remarked  her 
friend ;  and  Gertrude  gave  the  girl  a  significant  look. 

The  children  were  all  sitting  at  their  new  spinning-wheels, 
and  little  Rudy  placed  himself  with  his  behind  the  stove. 
When  the  mason's  wife  called  him  out  to  show  his  yarn,  he 
was  so  elated  at  their  praise  that  he  sprang  across  the  room 
to  the  window,  with  a  loud  laugh  of  glee.  "That  is  a  wild 
one  !  "  said  Meyer's  sister. 

"  Not  so  very,"  replied  Gertrude,  calling  the  child  to  her. 


126  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  Stand  still,  now ;  you  know  it  makes  dust  in  the  room 
when  you  jump  about  so." 

"  I  forgot,"  said  the  boy,  standing  quiet  as  a  lamb  by  her 
side. 

Then  Gertrude  went  into  the  adjoining  room,  and  return- 
ing with  the  baby,  put  it  into  her  friend's  arms.  It  had  just 
waked,  and  had  the  rosy  flush  of  a  healthy  baby  after  sleep. 
It  rubbed  its  eyes  and  shook  itself  upon  the  arm  of  the 
visitor,  who  caressed  and  played  with  it  so  lovingly  that  it 
grew  confiding,  and  reached  after  her  mouth  with  its  tiny 
hand.  She  caught  one  small  finger  between  her  lips,  which 
amused  the  child,  and  when  it  succeeded  in  freeing  itself,  it 
shook  with  laughter.  In  the  midst  of  this  frolic  Gertrude 
said :  "If  the  poor  little  chick  could  only  have  another 
mother ! " 

Like  a  flash  Meyer's  sister  saw  the  game  her  friend  had 
been  plajnng,  and  was  vexed  with  herself  for  not  having 
discovered  it  sooner.  She  passed  the  baby  back  to  Ger- 
trude, saying  she  must  go  home  immediately.  "  But  don't 
you  think,"  persisted  the  mason's  wife,  "that  these  good 
children  are  in  need  of  a  mother?" 

"  "Who  says  they  are  not?" 

"  There  are  certainly  no  children  in  the  village  who  need 
one  more." 

"There  I  disagree  with  you.  There  are  perhaps  none  in 
the  whole  village  who  need  a  mother  less." 

"How  can  you  joke  about  such  a  thing?"  cried  Ger- 
trude. 

"  I  am  not  joking  in  the  least.  You  take  the  place  of 
seven  mothers."  And  turning  to  the  children,  she  asked : 
4 'Tell  me,  now;  wouldn't  you  rather  have  this  kind  woman 
than  a  new  mother?" 

"That  we  would!"  they  shouted;  "rather  than  a  hun- 
dred new  mothers ! " 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          127 

"You  are  making  a  stupid  piece  of  work  of  it!"  ex- 
claimed Gertrude  in  vexation. 

"  You  were  faying  to  make  too  wise  a  one,  I  imagine." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  As  if  you  didn't  know !  " 

"  Well,  I  do  think  that  in  Rudy's  present  circumstances 
he  can  look  for  a  wife  where  he  will." 

"  Certainly  no  one  will  want  to  prevent  him,"  observed 
Meyer's  sister  with  a  smile. 

"  You  say  that  so  sarcastically !  " 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  why?  It  amuses  me  that  you  are  such 
a  partial  advocate  of  his.  You  seem  to  fancy  that  any 
woman  would  stretch  out  both  hands  to  be  step-mother  to 
seven  children." 

"  I  would  like  to  find  a  mother,  not  a  step-mother  for 
them." 

"Most  women  would  think  twice  before  taking  such  a 
step ;  seven  children  are  always  seven  children." 

"  At  least,  most  of  them  are  good  children." 

"  That  may  be." 

"  And  he  is  goodness  itself." 

"  I  thought  that  was  coming  next ! " 

"  It  is  true,  at  all  events." 

"  And  then  I  suppose  he  is  a  fine  young  man ! " 

"  I  didn't  say  so." 

"  It's  a  wonder  you  didn't ! " 

"  But  he  does  certainly  appear  younger"  — 

"  Than  he  did  six  weeks  ago." 

"  You  have  noticed  it,  then?" 

"  I  think  I  must  be  going  home,"  was  the  guesf  s  only 
/esponse. 

' '  Just  wait  a  moment  1  " 

"Not  a  half  a  one!" 

"  But  you  really  must  not  go  away  from  the  children  with, 
out  a  friendly  leave-taking,"  said  Gertrude. 


128  LEONAED   AND   GERTRUDE. 

The  other  turned,  and  gave  the  desired  salutation.  "  Did 
you  hear?"  she  asked,  laughing;  "I  said  'God  be  with 
you! '  to  them." 

"And  when  you  come  again,  you  will  say  'God  greet 
you ! ' " 

"  "When  I  come  again,  perhaps  I  will ! "  returned  Meyer's 
sister,  hastening  out  of  the  house.  Her  face  was  scarlet, 
and  her  step  very  different  from  that  with  which  she  had 
come.  Gertrude  followed  her  with  her  eyes,  and  felt  that 
the  first  move  in  the  game  had  not  been  without  fair  pros- 
pect of  success. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          129 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

GERTRUDE'S  METHOD  OF  INSTRUCTION. 

IT  was  quite  early  in  the  morning  when  Arner,  Glulphi  and 
the  pastor  went  to  the  mason's  cottage.  The  room  was  not 
in  order  when  they  entered,  for  the  family  had  just  finished 
breakfast,  and  the  dirty  plates  and  spoons  still  lay  upon  the 
table.  Gertrude  was  at  first  somewhat  disconcerted,  but  the 
visitors  reassured  her,  saying  kindly:  "This  is  as  it  should 
be ;  it  is  impossible  to  clear  the  table  before  breakfast  is 
eaten ! " 

The  children  all  helped  wash  the  dishes,  and  then  seated 
themselves  in  their  customary  places  before  their  work. 
The  gentlemen  begged  Gertrude  to  let  everything  go  on  as 
usual,  and  after  the  first  half  hour,  during  which  she  was  a 
little  embarrassed,  all  proceeded  as  if  no  stranger  were 
present.  First  the  children  sang  their  morning  hymns,  and 
then  Gertrude  read  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  aloud,  which  they 
repeated  after  her  while  they  were  spinning,  rehearsing  the 
most  instructive  passages  until  they  knew  them  by  heart. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  oldest  girl  had  been  making  the  chil- 
dren's beds  in  the  adjoining  room,  and  the  visitors  noticed 
through  the  open  door  that  she  silently  repeated  what  the 
others  were  reciting.  When  this  task  was  completed,  she 
went  into  the  garden  and  returned  with  vegetables  for  din- 
ner, which  she  cleaned  while  repeating  Bible-verses  with  the 
rest. 

It  was  something  new  for  the  children  to  see  three  gentle- 
men in  the  room,  and  they  often  looked  up  from  their  spin- 


130  LEONARD  AND   GEKTKT7DE. 

ning  toward  the  corner  where  the  strangers  sat.  Gertrude 
noticed  this,  and  said  to  them:  "Seems  to  me  you  look 
more  at  these  gentlemen  than  at  your  yarn."  But  Harry 
answered :  "  No,  indeed !  We  are  working  hard,  and  you'll 
have  finer  yarn  to-day  than  usual." 

Whenever  Gertrude  saw  that  anything  was  amiss  with  the 
wheels  or  cotton,  she  rose  from  her  work,  and  put  it  in 
order.  The  smallest  children,  who  were  not  old  enough  to 
spin,  picked  over  the  cotton  for  carding,  with  a  skill  which 
excited  the  admiration  of  the  visitors. 

V  Although  Gertrude  thus  exerted  herself  to  develop  very 
early  the  manual  dexterity  of  her  children,  she  was  in  no 
haste  for  them  to  learn  to  read  and  write.  But  she  took 
pains  to  teach  them  early  how  to  speak/;  for,  as  she  said, 
"  of  what  use  is  it  for  a  person  to  be  able  to  read  and  write, 
if  he  cannot  speak  ?  —  since  reading  and  writing  are  only  an 
artificial  sort  of  speech."  To  this  end  she  used  to  make  the 
children  pronounce  syllables  after  her  in  regular  succession, 
taking  them  from  an  old  A-B-C  book  she  had. \/This  exercise 
in  correct  and  distinct  articulation  was,  however,  only  a  sub- 
ordinate object  in  her  whole  scheme  of  education,  which 
embraced  a  true  comprehension  of  life  itself.  Yet  she  never 
adopted  the  tone  of  instructor  toward  her  children ;  she  did 
not  say  to  them :  "  Child,  this  is  your  head,  your  nose,  your 
hand,  your  finger ;  "  or :  "  Where  is  your  eye,  your  ear  ?  "  — 
but  instead,  she  would  say  :  "  Come  here,  child,  I  will  wash 
your  little  hands,"  "  J  will  comb  your  hair,"  or :  "I  will  cut 
your  finger-nails. "\/H.er  verbal  instruction  seemed  to  vanish 
in  the  spirit  of  her  real  activity,  in  which  it  always  had  its 
source.  The  result  of  her  system  was  that  each  child  was 
skilful,  intelligent  and  active  to  the  full  extent  that  its  age 
and  development  allowed. 

/The  instruction  she  gave  them  in  the  rudiments  of  arith- 
metic was  intimately  connected  with  the  realities  of  life.  She 
taught  them  to  count  the  number  of  steps  from  one  end  of 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          131 

the  room  to  the  other,  and  two  of  the  rows  of  five  panes 
each,  in  one  of  the  windows,  gave  her  an  opportunity  to  un- 
fold the  decimal  relations  of  numbers.  She  also  made  them 
count  their  threads  while  spinning,  and  the  number  of  turns 
on  the  reel,  when  they  wound  the  yarn  into  skeins.  Above 
all,  in  every  occupation  of  life  she  taught  them  an  accurate 
and  intelligent  observation  of  common  objects  and  the  forces 
of  nature. 

All  that  Gertrude's  children  knew,  they  knew  so  thoroughly 
that  they  were  able  to  teach  it  to  the  younger  ones  ;  and  this 
they  often  begged  permission  to  do.  On  this  day,  while  the 
visitors  were  present,  Jonas  sat  with  each  arm  around  the 
neck  of  a  smaller  child,  and  made  the  little  ones  pronounce 
the  syllables  of  the  A-B-C  book  after  him  ;  while  Lizzie  placed 
herself  with  her  wheel  between  two  of  the  others,  and  while 
all  three  spun,  taught  them  the  words  of  a  hymn  with  the 
utmost  patience. 

When  the  guests  took  their  departure,  they  told  Gertrude 
they  would  come  again  on  the  morrow.  "Why?"  she  re- 
turned ;  "  You  will  only  see  the  same  thing  over  again." 
But  Glulphi  said  :  ' '  That  is  the  best  praise  you  could  possi- 
bly give  yourself."  Gertrude  blushed  at  this  compliment, 
and  stood  confused  when  the  gentlemen  kindly  pressed  her 
hand  in  taking  leave. 

The  three  could  not  sufficiently  admire  what  they  had  seen 
at  the  mason's  house,  and  Glulphi  was  so  overcome  by  the 
powerful  impression  made  upon  him,  that  he  longed  to  be 
alone  and  seek  counsel  of  his  own  thoughts.  He  hastened 
to  his  room,  and  as  he  crossed  the  threshold,  the  words  broke 
from  his  lips  :  "  I  must  be  schoolmaster  in  Bonnal ! "  All 
night  visions  of  Gertrude's  schoolroom  floated  through  his 
mind,  and  he  only  fell  asleep  toward  morning.  Before  his 
eyes  were  fairly  open,  he  murmured :  "  I  will  be  schoolmas- 
ter ! "  —  and  hastened  to  Arner  to  acquaint  him  with  his 
resolution. 


\\ 


132  LEONARD   AND  GEBTBTJDE. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MATCH-MAKING  AND    SCHOOL-MARINO. 

ARNER  rejoiced  greatly  over  Gliilphi's  determination,  and 
calling  for  the  good  pastor  on  their  way,  the  two  friends 
turned  their  steps  for  the  second  time  to  Gertrude's  door. 
She  had  expected  them,  but  had  made  no  change  in  her  usual 
programme.  As  they  entered,  at  the  close  of  the  Bible 
reading,  the  morning  sun  shone  brightly  into  the  room,  and 
the  children,  of  their  own  accord,  struck  up  the  song  begin- 
ning: 

"With  what  a  fair  and  radiant  gleam 

The  sun's  mild  rays  upon  us  beam, 

Bringing  refreshment  to  the  eye, 

And  filling  all  our  souls  with  joy ! " 

"When  they  were  all  seated  at  their  work,  little  Harry 
whispered  in  his  mother's  ear,  to  ask  if  the  children  might 
not  thank  Arner  for  the  money  he  had  given  them,  and  on 
receiving  permission,  he  noiselessly  crept  about  between  the 
wheels,  bearing  the  message  to  his  brothers  and  sisters.  The 
little  band  came  forth  and  stood  shyly  before  the  nobleman, 
no  one  daring  to  speak,  until  at  a  question  from  Arner,  Harry 
plucked  up  courage  to  stammer  out  their  errand.  Arner 
lifted  the  boy  kindly  upon  his  knee,  where  he  was  soon  as 
much  at  home  as  if  it  had  been  his  own  father. 

Rudy's  children  now  held  a  consultation,  and  came  forward, 
black-eyed  Nanny  ahead,  to  thank  their  benefactor  for  the 
cow  and  the  meadow.  Arner  set  Harry  down  and  took  the 
little  girl  in  his  lap,  where  she  was  soon  as  much  at  her  ease 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  133 

as  the  boy  had  been.  In  a  minute  she  asked :  "  Have  you 
much  more  of  that  beautiful  money  you  gave  the  other  chil- 
dren?" JL  A 

"For  shame!"  cried  all  the  rest  in  chorus. '^^^      f 

"  No,  let  her  speak,"  said  Arner.  "  Would  you  like  some 
too?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  please." 

"  But  I  have  none  with  me  at  present." 

"  Don't  you  always  have  it  with  you?" 

"  No,  but  I  shall  have  some  when  I  come  again." 

During  this,  scene  it  seemed  to  Gertrude  as  if  somebody 
were  urging  her  to  say  a  word  of  her  plan  about  Meyer's 
sister ;  yet  her  courage  failed  her  when  it  came  to  the  point 
of  speaking.  Just  then  the  Bailiff  Meyer  happened  to  come 
in  with  a  message  to  Arner,  and  as  he  was  leaving,  Gertrude 
forced  herself  to  say,  with  a  glance  at  the  child  in  the  noble- 
man's arms :  "If  the  little  chick  could  only  have  another 
mother ! " 

Arner  replied  that  he  should  suppose  it  would  not  be  diffi- 
cult for  Rudy  to  find  a  wife  in  his  present  circumstances. 
"Yes,  but" —  stammered  Gertrude,  —  "but  he  ought  to 
have  a  good  one.." 

"  Pick  one  out  for  him,  then." 

"  I  would  be  very  glad  to  do  so,  if  it  lay  in  my  power ; 
but  the  Bailiff  could  do  the  most,  if  he  would  only  have  the 
kindness  to  say  a  good  word  to  his  sister  for  Rudy." 

Meyer,  who,  with  his  wife,  had  far  different  plans  in  view, 
turned  pale.  "You  hear  what  she  says,"  remarked  Arner 
to  him.  "What  have  you  to  say?  Would  you  object  to 
him  as  a  brother-in-law?" 

"  Oh,  —  by  no  means,"  stammered  the  hypocritical  Bailiff. 

"  Well,  then,  tell  your  sister  that  it  would  greatly  rejoice 
me,  if  she  would  decide  to  enter  this  household." 

"Oh,  yes,  Sir,  yes  indeed,"  answered  the  poor  wretch, 
still  pale  as  death. 


134          LEONARD  AND  GEETEUDE. 

"But  you  need  not  feel  constrained  to  do  this  on  my 
account,  if  you  have  any  objection,"  added  Arner,  suspect- 
ing that  Meyer's  inclinations  were  on  the  other  side,  and 
wishing  to  leave  him  a  loophole  of  escape.  But  he  made 
fresh  assurances  of  his  good  will  in  the  matter,  and  left  the 
house  very  ill  at  ease. 

-  Glulphi  had  been  waiting  impatiently  to  speak  to  Gertrude 
of  his  own  plans,  and  he  now  asked  her  whether  she  thought 
it  would  be  possible  to  introduce  into  a  regular  school  the 
same  method  she  pursued  at  home  with  her  children.  "  I 
am  not  sure,"  she  replied ;  "  although  I  am  inclined  to  think) 
that  what  is  possible  with  ten  children  would  be  possible 
with  forty.  But  it  would  be  difficult  jo^findaj schoobnasterj 
who  would  tolerate  such  an  arrangement  in  his  school . ' ' 

"  But  supposing  one  could  be  found,"  said  the  lieuten- 
ant, "  who  would  be  willing  to  introduce  it,  would  you  help 
him?" 

"To  be  sure, — if  one  could  be  found,"  she  returned  with 
a  laugh. 

"And  if  I  were  he?" 

"Were  who  ?" 

"  The  man  who  is  ready  to  establish  such  a  school  as  you 
have  in  your  room." 

"  You  are  no  schoolmaster !  " 

"  But  I  will  be." 

"  Yes,  in  some  great  city,  perhaps,  and  in  things  village 
people  know  nothing  about !  " 

"No,  in  a  village,  and  in  things  all  village  people  ought 
to  understand." 

"That  must  be  a  queer  sort  of  village,  where  a  gentleman 
like  you  wants  to  be  schoolmaster!  Such  a  gentleman  as 
you  doesn't  take  a  fancy  to  teach  children  like  these  here." 

"  That  you  don't  know." 

"  But  I  have  an  idea  that  it  is  so." 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  135 

"  So  I  perceive.  But  if  I  really  wanted  to  be  such  a 
schoolmaster,  what  then  ?  Would  you  help  me  ?  " 

**  To  be  sure,"  said  Gertrude  again,  still  under  the  impres- 
sion he  was  joking  ;  "  I  will  help  you  all  I  can." 

Glulphi  turned  to  Arner  and  the  pastor,  saying:  "You 
have  heard,  she  has  promised  twice  to  help  me." 

"  That's  fine  !  "  they  said  laughing. 

Gertrude  began  to  be  confused,  and  when  she  found  they 
were  actually  in  earnest,  she  stoutly  declared  herself  incapa- 
ble of  showing  the  lieutenant  the  least  thing  in  the  world, 
although  she  would  gladly  send  her  children  to  school  to 
him,  and  come  herself  if  she  were  only  younger.  But  they 
answered  that  her  help  would  be  indispensable,  and  when 
she  pleaded  her  lack  of  time  and  the  cares  of  her  household, 
and  named  another  excellent  housekeeper  whose  aid  might 
be  of  service,  Glulphi  replied:  "She  will  doubtless  be 
useful,  too,  but  there  can  be  no  substitute  for  your  mother's 
heart,  which  I  must  have  for  my  school." 

"  My  mother's  heart  is  hardly  large  enough  for  my  own 
room,"  said  Gertrude;  "and  if  you  are  really  to  be  our 
schoolmaster,  I  know  you  will  bring  a  father's  heart  and  a 
father's  strength  into  the  work,  such  as  will  make  my  little 
mother's  heart  quite  superfluous." 

"It  is  very  true,"  remarked  the  other  gentlemen,  "that 
our  lieutenant  will  bring  a  great  father's  heart  with  him ; 
but  that  will  not  render  the  cooperation  of  your  mother's 
heart  unnecessary."  Then  they  explained  to  her  that  they 
regarded  the  proper  education  of  the  youthful  population 
as  the  only  means  of  elevating  the  condition  of  the  corrupt 
village ;  and  full  of  emotion,  Gertrude  promised  them  she 
would  do  anything  in  her  power  to  forward  the  good  cause 


136  LEONARD   AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXVH. 

A    SINGHLAK    COURTSHIP. 

THE  Bailiff  Meyer  hastened  home  with  rage  in  his  heart, 
having  conceived  the  idea  that  his  sister  was  in  league  with 
Gertrude,  and  had  taken  this  method  to  further  her  designs. 
When,  toward  evening,  he  finally  succeeded  in  finding  his 
sister,  he  accosted  her  with  an  irritation  for  which  she  was 
at  a  loss  to  account,  until  he  mentioned  Gertrude's  name. 
She  turned  very  red,  but  he  did  not  notice  it,  and  proceeded 
to  describe  the  interview  at  the  mason's  cottage.  After  a 
pause,  she  inquired :  "  What  answer  did  you  give  them?" 

' '  You  can  readily  imagine  I  had  to  promise  them  what 
they  asked." 

"  That  you  would  speak  a  good  word  for  Rudy?" 

"  I  was  obliged  to." 

"  Indeed?    But  how  is  it  now?   What  do  you  advise  me?" 

' '  You  surely  do  not  ask  me  in  earnest !  You  know  very 
well  that  my  wife  and  I  had  other  plans  for  you." 

' '  I  know ;  it  was  only  yesterday  }-ou  were  speaking  of  it. 
But  then  I  cannot  understand  your  promising  Arner  some- 
thing different." 

"  Don't  quarrel  with  me  now !  I  am  in  a  sufficiently  tight 
place  already." 

"You  well  may  be,  if  that  is  the  way  you  behave!  I 
wouldn't  look  a  living  being  in  the  face,  if  I  had  acted  as 
you  have  done ! "  —  and  she  ran  off  in  great  excitement  to 
the  mason's  house. 

Gertrude  endured  the  passionate  reproaches  of  her  friend 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          137 

in  silence,  until  the  latter  had  become  somewhat  calmer,  and 
then  volunteered  to  give  her  a  true  version  of  the  affair. 
When  Meyer's  sister  heard  what  feelings  had  actuated  Ger- 
trude, and  learned  that  Arner  had  expressed  the  most  friendly 
interest  in  Rudy's  future  wife  and  his  whole  household,  her 
anger  was  turned  against  her  brother  alone,  and  her  speech 
grew  quiet.  At  this  juncture  Rudy  came  out  from  behind 
the  door,  where  he  had  been  an  unintentional  auditor  of  the 
conversation.  "When  the  visitor  arrived,  he  was  with  Ger- 
trude, and  had  followed  her  down  stairs,  with  the  intention 
of  begging  Meyer's  sister  not  to  be  angry  with  Gertrude  for 
her  friendly  intervention  in  his  behalf ;  but,  checked  by  the 
loud  tones  of  the  excited  guest,  he  had  drawn  back  and 
waited  for  an  opportunity  to  address  her. 

Meyer's  sister  started  back  at  Rudy's  unexpected  appear- 
ance, and  measured  her  suitor  from  head  to  foot.  Strange 
to  say,  as  he  stood  before  her,  cap  in  hand,  with  a  bearing 
which  plainly  showed  that  he  had  no  hope,  and  was  not  there 
on  his  own  account,  —  he  pleased  her  so  well  that  she  stood 
still,  and  no  longer  scanned  him  with  a  critical  eye.  He, 
however,  not  noting  this  favorable  change,  begged  her  to 
pardon  him  for  venturing  to  think  of  her,  adding  that  he  was 
in  sore  need  of  an  excellent  wife.  She  answered:  "I  can 
give  you  no  hope." 

He  did  not  reply,  but  stood  looking  wistfully  at  her,  like  a 
hungry  man  who  is  yet  loath  to  ask  an  alms.  "  Fie !  "  she 
cried  ;  "  you  stand  there  like  a  beggar." 

' '  I  have  never  begged  in  my  life,  and  yet  I  imagine  that 
now  I  do  stand  before  you  as  you  say." 

"  But  you  should  not ! '" 

"How  am  I  to  stand  before  you,  then,  and  what  shall  I 
do  instead  of  begging?" 

"  You  must  pay  no  heed  to  me  at  all." 

"  Then  I  would  rather  go  on  begging." 


138          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

"  Well  —  then  I  must  say  '  God  help  you.'  " 

"  If  you  will  say  that  to  me  in  the  right  way,  I  shall  have 

no  objection." 

"  Well,  then  — God  help  you,  Rudy !  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  not  the  right  sort  of  '  God  help  you.' " 

"  What  would  you  call  the  right  sort?" 

"  If  you  would  give  me  your  hand  on  it,  and  promise  you 

would  help  me,  too,  that  would  be  the  right  sort  of  '  God  help 

you.'" 

"  Indeed?    You  are  certainly  no  fool,  Rudy." 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but,  indeed,  it  would  be  hard  to  find  any- 
body who  has  equal  need  of  such  an  alms." 

"  But  why  should  /  be  the  one  to  give  it  to  you  ?  You  can 
beg  in  this  way  at  many  houses." 

"  That  I  shall  not  do." 

"  Well,  do  as  you  please  !  Only  now  go  behind  the  door 
again,  and  leave  us  alone."  With  this  she  took  Gertrude's 
arm,  and  walked  away,  at  a  loss  what  to  say  next. 

Gertrude  praised  Rudy  and  his  household,  and  Meyer's 
sister  took  leave  in  a  very  different  frame  of  mind  from  that 
in  which  she  had  come.  Arrived  at  home,  she  seemed  to  see 
Rudy  perpetually  before  her  eyes,  and  hear  his  words  in  her 
ear.  The  rich  cousin  whom  the  Bailiff  and  his  wife  had 
intended  for  her  husband  also  appeared  to  stand  before  her ; 
first,  as  she  saw  him  at  his  sister's  wedding,  eating  bacon, 
with  the  fat  dripping  from  the  corners  of  his  mouth ;  and 
then,  as  she  had  seen  him  that  other  time  in  the  village, 
when  he  was  slaughtering  a  sow,  and  thrust  his  hand  far  into 
the  animal's  neck,  until  the  warm  blood  gushed  over  it.  She 
mentally  contrasted  the  two  men,  and  said  to  herself :  "Yes, 
if  I  had  to  take  one  of  them,  it  would  certainly  be  the  good 
old  Rudy ;  but  it  must  be  neither  of  the  two.'* 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  139 


CHAPTER  XXV  111. 

HOW   SLANDER   IS   PUNISHED    AND   THE    COMMON   DITTOED. 

AFTES  his  visit  to  Gertrude's  school,  Arner  sat  down  and 
wrote  a  long  letter  to  his  intimate  friend  Bylifsky,  now  min- 
ister of  the  Duke,  describing  the  impression  made  upon  him 
by  what  he  had  just  seen,  and  stating  the  views  of  Cotton 
Meyer  with  regard  to  the  means  of  bettering  the  condition  of 
the  corrupt  village.  "  These  views,"  he  concluded,  "  can  be 
summed  up  under  the  following  heads  : 

1  A  school  shall  be  organized  which  can  be  brought  into 
harmony  with  the  developing  influence  of  domestic  life,  as  is 
the  case  with  that  in  Gertrude's  house. 

2.  The  better  portion  of  the  people  of  Bonnal  shall  unite 
with  the  Castle  and  the  parsonage,  for  the  purpose  of  gain- 
ing a  sure  and  active  influence  over  the  various  households 
of  the  village. 

3.  A  new   method   of   choosing  the   overseers   shall  be 
adopted,  whereby  the  evil  influence  exerted  by  bad  overseers 
may  in  future  be  removed." 

It  had  been  announced  that  on  the  following  day  the 
apportionment  of  the  common  would  be  concluded.  Arner 
was  setting  out  for  the  village  in  the  morning,  when  he  was 
told  that  a  peasant's  daughter  of  the  Eichenberger  family 
wished  to  speak  with  him.  Arner  had  been  overrun  with 
visits  from  the  villagers  ever  since  his  kindly  reception  of 
Gertrude,  when  she  came  to  him  in  her  trouble.  He  had 
believed  at  first  that  it  was  his  duty  to  grant  a  personal  inter- 
view to  any  of  his  dependants  who  should  see  fit  to  seek  him 


140          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

at  the  Castle  ;  but  lately  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
his  time  was  being  wasted  in  listening  to  much  useless 
gossip,  while  he  was  even  forced  sometimes  to  lend  an  ear  to 
falsehood  and  slander.  A  few  days  ago,  he  had  resolved  to 
make  an  example  of  the  first  person  who  should  abuse  his 
patience  in  this  way;  and  the  opportunity  now  presented 
itself. 

He  knew  Eichenberger's  daughter  by  reputation  ;  she  was 
one  of  those  daughters  of  semi-rich  peasants,  who,  through 
the  vanity  and  ignorance  of  their  parents,  are  sent  away  to 
third-rate  boarding-houses  in  small  towns,  where  they  learn 
to  ape  the  customs  and  manners  of  city  life.  The  maiden 
in  question  had  been  still  further  led  astray  by  her  acquaint- 
ance with  Sylvia,  an  unscrupulous  court  demoiselle  who  was 
related  to  Arner.  Sylvia  hated  her  cousin  Arner,  and  was 
particularly  anxious  to  learn  anything  occurring  to  his  dis- 
credit in  Bonnal,  that  she  might  hold  him  up  to  ridicule  in 
the  higher  circles  of  society.  With  this  laudable  design,  she 
employed  the  above-mentioned  peasant's  daughter  as  her 
newsmonger,  allowing  her  vain  informant  the  felicity  of  sit- 
ting by  her  side  on  the  sofa  during  then-  confidential  inter- 
views. 

Now  Eichenberger's  daughter  had  heard  of  Arner's 
friendly  behavior  toward  Gertrude  and  Cotton  Meyer,  and 
imagined  she  might  easily  rise  even  higher  than  they  in  his 
favor;  so  adorning  herself  as  if  to  attend  a  wedding,  she 
hired  the  best  cart  she  could  obtain,  and  drove  to  Arnheim. 
Arner  admitted  her  into  his  audience-chamber,  and  resolved 
to  let  her  speak  uninterruptedly.  She  began  in  all  confi- 
dence, lamenting  the  bad  manners  and  morals  of  Bonnal, 
and  in  her  strictures  sparing  no  one,  not  even  Gertrude  and 
Cotton  Meyer.  Arner  listened  attentively,  but  remained 
silent.  By  degrees  this  conduct  confused  her,  so  that  she 
began  to  contradict  herself.  But  the  more  involved  her 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          141 

speech  became,  the  more  sharply  Arner  looked  at  her,  still 
in  this  awful  silence.  She  lost  courage,  and  changing  her 
tactics,  modified  and  retracted  her  previous  statements,  until 
amid  increasing  embarrassment  she  hesitated  and  stopped. 

Arner  at  length  opened  his  lips  and  said:  "Have  you 
finished?"  She  could  not  speak,  but  gazed  at  him  with 
fixed  eyes  and  quivering  lips.  He  rang,  and  his  armed 
jervant  entered.  Arner  ordered  the  man  to  conduct  her 
back  to  Bonnal  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  world,  so  that  another 
time  she  might  have  the  wisdom  to  remain  at  home,  instead 
of  running  to  the  Castle  to  slander  the  best  people  in  the 
village. 

Speechless  with  terror,  she  threw  herself  on  her  knees. 
It  was  fortunate  for  her  that  Arner's  wife  Theresa  hap- 
pened to  pass  the  open  door  at  this  moment,  and  asked  the 
meaning  of  the  scene.  When  she  learned  the  truth,  she 
laughingly  prevailed  upon  Arner  to  allow  his  suppliant  to 
withdraw  without  an  escort.  Eichenberger's  daughter  did 
not  wait  for  a  second  bidding,  but  flew  home  as  fast  as  her 
feet  would  carry  her,  and  wrote  Sylvia  a  glowing  account  of 
the  whole  affair. 

Arner  proceeded  to  the  village,  where  the  people  were 
assembled  in  the  square  under  the  linden-tree.  After  the 
lots  were  drawn,  entitling  the  peasants  to  their  respective 
shares  in  the  common,  he  left  the  men  to  themselves,  and 
stood  watching  them  curiously.  He  remembered  an  old 
saying  of  his  grandfather,  that  the  distribution  of  property 
shows  what  people  are,  the  possession  of  it  makes  them 
what  they  are.  Every  superior  portion  drew  forth  manifes- 
tations of  avarice,  which  were  exhibited  in  as  many  different 
ways  as  there  were  individuals.  But  this  was  only  one  side 
of  the  matter.  Arner  soon  found  that  he  could  learn  more 
of  agriculture  from  these  peasants,  as  they  discussed  the 
good  and  bad  points  of  a  piece  of  land,  than  he  had  ever 


Si 
142          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

known  before.  The  pleasantest  thing  of  all  was  now  and 
then  to  see  the  delight  of  a  poor  man,  when  he  had  drawn 
a  good  lot ;  but  the  rich  peasants  wore  discontented  faces. 

In  the  afternoon,  Arner  summoned  the  people  again  to  the 
common,  and  for  a  different  purpose.  A  little  before  the 
appointed  time,  a  wagon  loaded  with  several  hundred  fruit- 
trees  from  Arner' s  own  nursery-garden,  moved  from  the  par- 
sonage, where  it  had  been  stationed  awaiting  his  orders, 
toward  the  linden-tree  ;  and  at  the  same  time  a  large  herd  of 
goats  was  seen  advancing  in  the  same  direction. 

When  Arner  reached  the  green,  he  announced  that  every 
father  might  go  to  the  wagon,  and  take  as  many  fruit-trees 
as  he  had  children.  At  this  word  the  rich,  the  greedy  and 
the  bold  pressed  forward  to  snatch  the  best  for  themselves. 
But  Arner  ordered  them  to  stand  back,  and  wait  until  all  the 
trees  should  be  taken  from  the  wagon  and  laid  upon  the 
ground ;  then  they  might  advance,  one  by  one,  and  take 
them  in  the  order  in  which  they  lay. 

After  this  was  done,  he  called  the  people  about  him,  and 
said :  "  I  am  anxious  that  even  the  poorest  household  in  the 
village  shall  not  be  without  milk  for  the  young  children,  so  I 
have  had  these  goats  brought  here,  and  will  be  glad  to  ad- 
vance the  money  to  those  who  are  not  able  to  buy  one  for 
their  children." 

He  begged  those  who  would  like  such  a  loan,  to  come  for- 
ward, and  twenty-seven  answered  the  summons.  They  were 
hatless,  shoeless  and  in  rags,  and  worse  than  that,  loafer, 
fighter,  gambler  and  drunkard  was  written  on  their  faces. 
Arner  was  heart-sick,  and  could  not  help  exclaiming :  "  You 
are  a  wretched-looking  set  indeed  !  And  the  worst  of  it  is, 
that  neither  land  nor  milk  will  help  you  !  "  He  paused,  then 
in  a  moment  continued:  "If  it  were  not  for  your  children, 
I  would  send  the  goats  back  where  they  came  from.  —  But 
go,  in  God's  name,  and  pick  them  out !  " 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          143 

The  children  whose  fathers  bought  the  goats  were  so  over- 
jo3*ed  that  many  children  of  rich  parents  persuaded  their 
fathers  to  buy  them  goats  also,  saying  that  Arner's  little 
Karl  had  one.  After  warning  the  children  not  to  form  idle 
habits  while  herding  their  goats,  Arner  talked  with  the 
fathers  about  the  tithe-free  fields  he  wanted  to  promise  to 
those  spinners'  children  who  would  save  up  eight  or  ten 
florins  from  their  earnings  before  their  twentieth  year.  The 
wealthy  peasants  began  to  put  their  heads  together,  and 
murmur:  "What  will  our  own  daughters  have,  if  these 
spinners'  children  are  to  have  tithe-free  fields?"  Arner 
heard  it,  and  offered  the  same  reward  to  any  peasant's 
daughter  whose  parents  should  receive  an  orphan  child  into 
their  nouse,  and  bring  it  up  faithfully  and  well.  But  the 
rich  men  turned  away  grumbling. 


144          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A  DAT   OP  JUDGMENT. 

IT  was  the  night  before  the  day  on  which  all  accounts  were 
to  be  settled  between  the  former  Bailiff  Hummel  and  his 
debtors,  and  Arner  could  not  sleep  for  thinking  of  the 
wretched  crowd  he  would  be  compelled  to  face  on  the  mor- 
row. Little  Karl,  who  slept  in  the  room  with  him,  heard  him 
groan,  and  asked ;  "  Is  anything  the  matter,  papa,  that  you 
can't  sleep  ?  " 

"  No,  my  dear  boy,"  Arner  replied. 

"But,  dear  papa,  I  know  something  is  the  matter;  you 
are  anxious  about  to-morrow." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  my  boy  ?  " 

"Papa,  do  you  suppose  I  don't  know  that  everybody  is 
anxious  about  the  reckoning  to-morrow?  " 

"Who  told  you  so?" 

"  Oh,  a  number  of  the  boys ;  but  one  in  particular.  Just 
think,  papa,  he  was  with  the  other  boys,  but  he  hadn't  the 
heart  to  play  like  the  rest,  so  I  went  up  to  him,  and  asked 
him  why  he  looked  so  sad.  At  first  he  wouldn't  tell  me,  but 
I  gave  him  no  peace  until  at  last  he  said  that  his  family  at 
home,  his  father  and  mother  and  sisters,  were  almost  crying 
their  eyes  out,  because  they  owed  the  Bailiff  something ;  and 
to-morrow  his  sister  must  come  to  you  under  the  linden. 
Then  he  began  to  cry  so  hard  that  he  ran  and  hid  behind  a 
hedge,  so  that  no  one  should  see  him." 

"  What  is  his  name,  and  to  what  family  does  he  belong?" 

"  His  name  is  Jamie,  and  he  is  such  a  pretty  boy!  —  so 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          145 

good  and  gentle,  too !  You  won't  be  hard  on  them  to-mor. 
row,  will  you,  papa?" 

"  I  don't  intend  to  be  hard  on  anybody,  but,  my  dear  Karl, 
you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  when  a  bad  habit  is  formed, 
it  must  be  broken  up." 

"  Yes,  papa.  But  if  they  don't  do  so  any  more,  youTI  be 
good  to  them  again  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  only  too  glad,"  answered  his  father ;  and  with 
this  word  little  Karl  straightway  fell  asleep. 

In  obedience  to  the  beadle's  summons,  by  nine  o'clock  all 
Hummers  debtors  had  gathered  under  the  linden-tree,  a  sorry 
assemblage  of  men,  women  and  children,  from  the  old  toper 
tfho  had  sat  for  the  last  twenty  years  at  the  Bailiffs  table, 
to  the  misguided  child  who  a  few  weeks  ago  had  entered 
the  tavern  for  the  first  time.  As  Arner  sat  with  a  sad  face 
beside  the  pastor,  he  suddenly  remembered  the  conversation 
of  the  previous  night,  and  inquired  about  the  family  to  which 
Karl's  friend  belonged.  The  parson  spoke  of  them  in  the 
highest  terms,  as  honest,  industrious  people.  The  wife  had 
been  confined  to  her  bed  all  winter,  and  her  husband  had 
been  obliged  to  watch  with  her  night  after  night,  without 
proper  nourishment,  which  had  led  him,  from  time  to  time, 
to  send  for  wine  as  a  stimulant.  His  daughter,  who  had 
brought  the  wine,  had  never  touched  a  drop  of  it  herself,  but 
insisted  on  coming  to  the  linden  in  place  of  her  father. 

Arner's  heart  was  filled  with  compassion  for  this  unhappy 
family,  and  for  a  while  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  could  better 
endure  the  sight  before  him.  He  pitied  the  children  most, 
and  called  them  up  first,  to  put  them  out  of  their  misery. 
He  usually  said  only:  "Are  you  there,  too?"  To  some, 
however,  he  gave  his  hand,  saying :  "  Don't  do  so  again,  as 
long  as  you  live  ! " 

Most  of  the  women  seemed  ready  to  sink  to  the  ground 
with  shame  and  terror;  but  he  could  see  that  the  greater 


146  LBONAED  AND  GEBTEUDB. 

part  of  this  was  put  on,  and  treated  them  accordingly. 
When  Lindenberger's  daughter,  Jamie's  sister,  was  called, 
she  did  not  raise  her  eyes  from  the  ground,  but  silently  laid 
the  money  on  the  table.  Arner  spoke  kindly  to  her,  saying 
he  knew  her  history,  and  how  she  was  not  at  all  to  blame, 
but  had  taken  the  disgrace  upon  herself  to  spare  her  father. 
The  girl  covered  her  overflowing  eyes  with  her  hand,  as  she 
sobbed  out:  "My  father,  nobody  but  my  dear  father  can 
have  told  you  this ! " 

"  No,"  said  Arner ;  "  it  was  your  brother  Jamie  who  told 
it  to  my  Karl,  and  he  begged  me  with  tears  in  his  eyes  not 
to  be  hard  on  you.  Tell  your  brother,  my  girl,  to  come  to 
the  Castle  on  Sunday  to  see  Karl ;  he  is  very  fond  of  him." 
She  sprang  away  home  with  tears  of  joy. 

Others,  who  had  witnessed  Arner's  kindness,  tried  to 
abuse  it  by  exciting  undeserved  sympathy  in  their  favor; 
but  in  vain.  Finally  the  name  of  "  Barbara"  was  called, 
and  the  poor  spinning-woman  answering  to  that  appellation 
stepped  forward.  There  was  a  movement  of  surprise  among 
all  present,  of  which  Arner  inquired  the  cause.  The  beadle, 
who  was  well  aware  of  the  truth,  replied  with  a  grin  that 
they  thought  it  was  not  the  right  Barbara.  Hummel,  being 
questioned,  said  that  the  Barbara  who  was  in  debt  to  him 
went  by  the  name  of  "the  pious,"  and  that  her  pride  had 
probably  prevented  her  from  coming  to  answer  the  summons 
in  person.  "  And  how  much  did  she  give  you,"  inquired 
Arner  of  the  other  Barbara,  "  for  coming  in  her  place?" 

"A  half  florin,"  she  answered,  adding  that  she  had  not 
thought  it  would  do  anybody  any  harm  if  she  consented. 

"  But  did  you  not  think  of  its  injuring  your  reputation  to 
come  before  this  table?" 

"  I  thought  nobody  would  believe  it ! "  was  the  reply,  to 
the  amusement  of  all. 

Arner  sent  his  man-at-arms  to  bring  the  rightful  Barbara, 


LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE.  147 

whom  he  found  solacing  this  bitter  hour  of  affliction  by  read- 
ing the  book  of  Job.  All  prayers  and  protestations  were 
unavailing ;  the  proud  woman  was  obliged  to  accompany  the 
soldier  back  to  the  linden,  —  if  you  wish  to  know  how,  good 
reader,  you  must  recall  to  your  mind  the  "  Dance  of  Death" 
in  Basle.  Arner  made  the  second  Barbara  sit  down  on  the 
stone  bench  beside  the  first,  aud  wait  until  all  the  other 
ne'er-do-weels  had  concluded  then*  reckoning ;  then  he  called 
her  before  him,  and  simply  said  she  must  give  her  namesake 
another  half  florin  for  the  service  she  had  rendered,  and 
another  time  must  not  try  to  purchase  immunity  from  dis- 
grace so  cheaply. 


148  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


THS  tOtfN^KR  GENERATION  BRINGS  HOPE  AND  COMFORT  TO 
THE  PEOPLE'S  FATHER. 

THIS  same  morning  a  portion  of  the  village  was  very  dif- 
ferently employed.  The  spinners'  children  had  resolved  on 
the  previous  day  to  form  a  procession  and  go  to  Arner, 
to  thank  him  for  his  kindness.  They  rose  bright  and 
early,  and  devoted  an  unusual  amount  of  time  to  the  duties 
of  the  toilet,  washing  themselves  zealously  at  brook  and 
well,  and  allowing  their  tangled  hair  to  be  combed  without 
a  murmur.  They  put  on  the  best  clothes  their  homes 
afforded,  which  in  many  cases  were  only  soiled  rags,  and 
gathered  at  the  houses  of  Gertrude,  Cotton  Meyer's  sister, 
and  young  Renold's  wife.  These  three  women,  who  had 
encouraged  the  children  in  their  undertaking,  borrowed 
shoes,  stockings,  dresses  and  wearing  apparel  of  every  sort, 
that  the  procession  might  be  a  pretty  one. 

When  the  whole  band  had  finally  assembled  at  Maria's 
house,  she  said  :  "  We  have  forgotten  to  choose  a  queen  for 
the  procession,  and  teach  her  a  speech  to  say  to  Arner." 
All  three  women  looked  the  children  over,  and  almost  in 
one  breath  cried:  "I  know  the  one!"  It  proved  they 
had  all  selected  the  same  child,  a  poorly  dressed  girl,  yet 
beautiful  as  the  day,  with  golden  hair  rolling  back  from  her 
fair  forehead,  and  great  blue  eyes  fixed  upon  ihe  ground. 
She  was  standing  a  little  apart  from  the  others,  absorbed  in 
thought,  and  quite  unconscious  of  the  attention  she  excited. 
She  was  the  oldest  of  the  ten  children  of  an  unhappy  man, 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          149 

who,  having  fallen  into  Hummel's  clutches,  went  into  the 
woods  one  night,  and  hung  himself.  From  that  hour  the 
child  had  never  for  a  moment  forgotten  her  father.  During 
the  day,  she  was  the  servant  of  her  sick  mother,  and  the 
mother  of  her  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  performing  every 
duty  faithfully  and  uncomplainingly.  But  at  midnight,  when 
all  the  household  were  in  their  beds,  a  little  figure  would 
creep  forth  into  the  thicket  to  a  lonely  grave,  which  lay 
between  rocks  and  lofty  trees  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice. 
Round  about  it  the  child  had  planted  the  fairest  wild  flowers, 
—  blue  violets,  pale  greenish  tulips,  snowy  anemones  and 
delicate  pink  roses,  with  a  great  sunflower  in  the  middle, 
and  passion-flowers  at  the  four  corners.  She  had  surrounded 
the  grave  with  hedges  woven  of  thorns,  to  keep  off  the  wild 
beasts,  and  no  human  foot  but  hers  ever  visited  the  spot. 

This  was  the  girl  who  stood  apart  from  the  merry  band, 
and  did  not  even  hear  that  she  was  chosen  queen  of  the  pro- 
cession. When  the  children  pressed  around  her,  and  rejoiced 
that  she  was  to  be  their  queen,  her  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
for  since  her  father's  death  she  had  lost  faith  in  the  kindness 
of  her  fellow- mortals.  Renold's  wife  took  her  by  the  hand, 
saying:  "Come,  now,  I  will  dress  you  like  a  bride,  and 
teach  you  a  speech." 

The  good  woman  attired  her  charge  in  a  white  dress  of 
fine  fabric,  and  was  about  to  adorn  her  forehead  with  the 
shining  band  which  the  peasant-girls  wear  to  weddings  and 
baptisms,  when  the  child  drew  back,  and  begged  her  to  con- 
sider what  Arner  and  the  whole  village  would  say  if  she 
should  appear  in  such  finery.  "Let  me  answer  for  that  !'* 
Renold's  wife  replied  ;  ' '  you  must  wear  it  for  Ariier  and  th€ 
procession,  not  for  your  own  sake." 

The  child  submitted,  and  suffered  herself  to  be  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  band  with  the  passivcness  of  a  lamb  led  by 
the  shepherd's  hand,  and  with  as  little  personal  vanity  as 


150          LBONABD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

might  be  displayed  by  a  baby  arrayed  in  cloth  of  gold, 
and  placed  upon  a  throne  to  be  gazed  at  by  an  admiring 
multitude. 

Arner  had  returned  to  the  parsonage  from  the  linden  sick 
at  heart,  and  almost  discouraged  at  the  idea  of  ever  being 
able  to  elevate  or  improve  a  people  which  had  sunk  to  such 
a  depth  of  corruption.  He  walked  up  and  down  in  the  gar- 
den, a  prey  to  gloomy  thoughts,  and  at  length  seated  him- 
self in  a  dark  arbor,  which  seemed  to  correspond  to  his 
frame  of  mind.  Suddenly  he  was  aroused  from  his  musings 
by  the  sound  of  children's  footsteps,  and  looking  up,  he 
beheld  a  youthful  procession,  extending  throughout  the 
entire  garden,  as  if  it  had  no  end,  and  at  its  head,  right 
before  him,  an  angel  in  a  snow-white  robe,  who  thus 
addressed  him : 

"  Dear  Father  Arner :  we  are  the  poor  spinners'  children 
of  Bonnal,  and  have  come  to  thank  you  for  being  so  good 
to  us,  and  promising  us  so  great  a  gift  if  we  lay  up  our  earn- 
ings regularly.  We  also  thank  you  heartily,  because  you 
are  going  to  establish  a  school  among  us  in  which  we  shall 
be  able  to  learn  more  than  we  ever  had  a  chance  to  do 
before.  All  this  makes  us  very  happy,  and  we  promise  that 
while  we  are  young,  and  when  we  grow  old,  we  will  do  right, 
and  show  ourselves  worthy  of  your  benefits.  May  God 
requite  you,  in  time  and  eternity,  for  what  you  do  for  us ! " 

The  effect  of  this  scene  upon  Arner  was  indescribable. 
He  hardly  knew  for  a  moment  whether  he  were  dreaming  or 
awake,  and  could  not  move  hand  or  foot.  Then  he  took  the 
snowy  angel  by  the  hand,  and  asked:  "Whose  child  are 
you?" 

But  his  voice  was  hard,  and  his  glance  confused ;  his 
words  also  terrified  the  good  child,  who,  pale  and  trembling, 
began  :  "  My  father"  —  but  she  could  not  go  on,  and  cov 
ered  her  face  with  both  hands. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          151 

«'  What  is  it?"  asked  Arner,  almost  as  much  startled  as 
the  girl  herself.  Another  child  that  stood  near,  whispered  : 
"  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  unfortunate  Rickenberger." 

Arner  was  much  grieved.  He  took  her  hand,  and  said : 
"I  am  sorry  I  asked  you  that.  But  it  is  to  your  credit  that 
you  are  so  fond  of  your  father ;  I  know  he  deserved  your 
love,  and  was  a  good  father  to  you." 

With  the  little  hand  still  in  his,  Arner  gradually  recovered 
from  the  first  shock  of  surprise,  and  rejoiced  at  the  coming 
of  the  children.  The  remembrance  of  their  parents,  who 
had  stood  before  him  that  morning,  faded  from  his  mind, 
and  he  saw  only  the  younger  generation,  for  which  hope 
arose  in  his  soul.  He  felt  himself  the  father  of  these  little 
ones,  and  seating  himself  among  them  on  the  turf,  he  played 
vith  them  as  if  they  were  indeed  his  children.  The  pastor's 
wife  made  a  delicious  milk-soup  for  the  little  company,  and 
Amor's  son  Karl,  as  well  as  the  parson  and  the  lieutenant, 
came  and  enjoyed  it  with  them.  Their  delight  reached  its 
height  when  Theresa  arrived  with  the  other  children,  and  all 
sat  together  at  the  rustic  banquet  in  joy  and  harmony. 


152          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  A  NEW  SCHOOL. 

GLULPHI  was  full  of  the  idea  of  his  school,  and  could 
speak  of  nothing  else  with  Arner  and  the  pastor.  He  used 
all  his  spare  time  in  visiting  Gertrude,  in  order  to  talk  it 
over  with  her ;  but  she  seemed  quite  unable  to  explain  her 
method  in  wmds,  and  usually  deprecated  the  idea  of  her 
advice  being  necessary.  Occasionally,  however,  she  would 
let  drop  some  significant  remark  which  the  lieutenant  felt 
went  to  the  root  of  tLe  whole  matter  of  education.  For 
example,  she  said  to  him  one  day :  "You  should  do  for  your 
children  what  their  parents  fail  to  do  for  them.  The  read- 
ing, writing  and  arithmetic  are  not,  after  all,  what  they  most 
need ;  it  is  all  well  and  good  for  them  to  learn  something, 
but  the  really  important  thing  is  for  them  to  be  something, 
—  for  them  to  become  what  they  are  meant  to  be,  and  in 
becoming  which  they  so  often  have  no  guidance  or  help  at 
home." 

Finally,  the  day  arrived  on  which  the  new  schoolmaster 
was  to  be  formally  presented  to  the  village.  Arner  and  the 
pastor  led  him  solemnl}'  between  them  to  the  church,  which 
was  crowded  with  the  inhabitants  of  Bonnal.  The  good 
clergyman  preached  a  sermon  on  the  ideal  function  of  the 
school  in  its  relation  to  the  home,  and  to  the  moral  develop- 
ment of  the  community ;  after  which  Arner  led  Glulphi 
forward  to  the  railing  of  the  choir,  and  introducing  him  to 
the  people,  made  a  short  but  earnest  plea  in  his  behalf. 
The  lieutenant  was  much  affected,  but  mastered  his  emotion 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          153 

sufficiently  to  express  in  a  few  words  his  sense  of  the  respon- 
sibility conferred  upon  him,  and  his  hope  that  the  parents 
would  cooperate  with  him  in  his  undertaking. 

Arner  was  anxious  to  make  the  occasion  of  Gliilphi's 
installation  a  festival  for  the  school-children,  so  after  the 
services  at  the  church,  he  invited  all  the  little  folks  to  the 
parsonage,  where,  with  the  help  of  the  pastor's  wife,  prepa- 
rations had  been  made  to  receive  them.  It  was  a  time- 
honored  custom  that  every  year,  at  Christmas  and  Easter, 
eggs  and  rolls  should  be  distributed  among  the  children  of 
Bonnal.  On  this  day,  on  entering  the  parsonage,  the  young 
people  beheld  even  more  beautifully  painted  eggs  than  they 
had  seen  at  Easter ;  and  beside  each  child's  portion  lay  a 
bright  nosegay. 

The  lieutenant,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  whole  matter, 
was  in  an  adjoining  room,  when  suddenly  the  door  was 
thrown  open,  and  the  children,  at  a  sign  from  Theresa, 
struck  up  with  one  accord  their  prettiest  song,  and  Glulphi 
found  himself  surrounded  by  the  lively  throng  of  his  future 
charges.  He  was  much  moved,  and  when  the  song  was  con- 
cluded, he  greeted  them  kindly,  shaking  many  of  them  by 
the  hand,  and  chatting  pleasantly  with  them.  Arner  ordered 
some  of  his  own  wine  to  be  brought,  and  the  children  drank 
the  health  of  their  new  schoolmaster. 

On  the  following  morning  the  lieutenant  began  his  school, 
and  Gertrude  helped  him  in  the  arrangement  of  it.  They 
examined  the  children  with  regard  to  their  previous  studies, 
and  seated  those  together  who  were  equally  advanced.  First 
there  were  those  who  had  not  learned  their  letters,  then  those 
who  could  read  separate  words,  and  finally,  those  who  already 
knew  how  to  read.  Beside  reading,  all  were  to  learn  writing 
and  arithmetic,  which  previously  had  only  been  taught  to  the 
more  wealthy,  in  private  lessons. 

At  first  Glulphi  found  it  harder  than  he  had  expected; 


154          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

but  every  day,  as  he  gained  in  experience,  his  task  became 
easier  and  more  delightful.  A  good  and  capable  woman, 
named  Margaret,  who  came  to  take  charge  of  the  sewing, 
spinning  etc.,  proved  a  most  valuable  and  conscientious 
helper  in  the  work.  Whenever  a  child's  hand  or  wheel 
stopped,  she  would  step  up  and  restore  things  to  their  former 
condition.  If  the  children's  hair  was  in  disorder,  she  would 
braid  it  up  while  they  studied  and  worked ;  if  there  was  a 
hole  in  their  clothes,  she  would  take  a  needle  and  thread, 
and  mend  it ;  and  she  showed  them  how  to  fasten  their  shoes 
and  stockings  properly,  beside  many  other  things  they  did 
not  understand. 

)  The  new  master  was  anxious,  above  all,  to  accustom  his 
charges  to  strict  order,  and  thus  lead  them  to  the  true  wis- 
dom of  life.  He  began  school  punctually  on  the  stroke  of 
the  clock,  and  did  not  allow  any  one  to  come  in  late.  He 
also  laid  great  stress  on  good  habits  and  behavior.  The 
children  were  obliged  to  come  to  school  clean  in  person  and 
apparel,  and  with  their  hair  combed.  While  standing,  sitting, 
writing  and  working,  they  always  were  taught  to  keep  the 
body  erect  as  a  candle.  Glulphi's  schoolroom  must  be  clean 
as  a  church,  and  he  would  not  suffer  a  pane  of  glass  to  be 
missing  from  the  window,  or  a  nail  to  be  driven  crooked  in 
the  floor.  Still  less  did  he  allow  the  children  to  throw  the 
\  smallest  thing  upon  the  floor,  or  to  eat  while  they  were  study- 
ung  ;  and  it  was  even  arranged  that  in  getting  up  and  sitting 
Sown  they  should  not  hit  against  each  other. 

Before  school  began,  the  children  came  up  to  their  teacher 
one  by  one,  and  said:  "God  be  with  you!"  He  looked 
them  over  from  head  to  foot,  so  that  they  knew  by  his  eye  if 
anything  was  wrong.  If  this  glance  was  not  sufficient,  he 
spoke  to  them,  or  sent  a  message  to  their  parents.  A  child 
would  not  infrequently  come  home  with  the  word:  "The 
t choolmaster  sends  greeting,  and  wants  to  know  whether  you 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  155 

have  no  needles  and  thread,"  or  "whether  water  is  dear," 
etc.  At  the  close  of  school,  those  who  had  done  well  went 
up  to  him  first,  and  said :  ' '  God  be  with  you !  "  He  held 
out  his  hand  to  each  one,  replying  :  "  God  be  with  you,  my 
dear  child ! "  Then  came  those  who  had  only  done  partly 
well,  and  to  these  he  merely  said:  "God  be  with  you!" 
without  giving  them  his  hand.  Finally,  those  who  had  not 
done  well  at  all  had  to  leave  the  room  without  even  going  to 
him. 

\  The  lieutenant's  punishments  were  designed  to  remedy  the 
faults  for  which  they  were  inflicted.  An  idle  scholar  was 
made  to  cut  fire-wood,  or  to  carry  stones  for  the  wall  which 
some  of  the  older  boys  were  constructing  under  the  master's 
charge ;  a  forgetful  child  was  made  school-messenger,  and 
for  several  days  was  obliged  to  take  charge  of  all  the  teach- 
er's business  in  the  village.  Disobedience  and  impertinence 
he  punished  by  not  speaking  publicly  to  the  child  in  question 
for  a  number  of  days,  talking  with  him  only  in  private,  after 
school.  "Wickedness  and  lying  were  punished  with  the  rod, 
and  any  child  thus  chastised  was  not  allowed  to  play  with 
the  others  for  a  whole  week ;  his  name  was  registered  in  a 
special  record -book  of  offences,  from  which  it  was  not  erased 
until  plain  evidence  of  improvement  was  given.  The  school- 
master was  kind  to  the  children  while  punishing  them,  talk- 
ing with  them  more  then  than  at  any  other  time,  and  trying 
to  help  them  correct  their  faults. 


156          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXXH. 

A  GOOD  PASTOR  AND  SCHOOLMASTER  ;  THE  OPENING  OF  A  NEW 

ERA. 

IN  his  instruction,  Glulphi  constantly  sought  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  that  equanimity  and  repose  which  man  can 
possess  in  all  circumstances  of  life,  provided  the  hardships 
of  his  lot  have  early  become  a  second  nature  to  him.  The 
success  of  this  attempt  soon  convinced  the  pastor  that  all 
verbal  instruction,  in  so  far  as  it  aims  at  true  human  wisdom, 
and  at  the  highest  goal  of  this  wisdom,  true  religion,  ought 
to  be  subordinated  to  a  constant  training  in  practical  domes- 
tic labor.  The  good  man,  at  the  same  time,  became  aware 
that  a  single  word  of  the  lieutenant's  could  accomplish  more 
than  hours  of  his  preaching.  With  true  humility,  he  profited 
by  the  superior  wisdom  of  the  schoolmaster,  and  remodelled 
his  method  of  religious  instruction.  He  united  his  efforts  to 
those  of  Glulphi  and  Margaret,  striving  to  lead  the  children. 
without  many  words,  to  a  quiet,  industrious  life,  and  thus  to 
lay  the  foundations  of  a  silent  worship  of  God  and  love  of 
humanity.  To  this  end,  he  connected  every  word  of  his 
brief  religious  teachings  with  their  actual,  every-day  experi 
ence,  so  that  when  he  spoke  of  God  and  eternity,  it  seemed 
to  them  as  if  he  were  speaking  of  father  and  mother,  house 
and  home,  in  short,  of  the  things  with  which  they  were  most 
familiar.  He  pointed  out  to  them  in  their  books  the  few 
wise  and  pious  passages  which  he  still  desired  them  to  learn 
by  heart,  and  completely  ignored  all  questions  involving  doc- 
trinal differences.  He  no  longer  allowed  the  children  to 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          157 

learn  any  long  prayers  by  rote,  saying  that  this  was  contrary 
to  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  the  express  injunctions  of 
their  Saviour. 

The  lieutenant  often  declared  that  the  pastor  was  quite 
unable  to  make  a  lasting  impression  on  men,  because  he 
spoiled  them  by  his  kindness.  |Glulphi's  own  principles  in 
regard  to  education  were  very  strict,  and  were  founded  on 
an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  world.     He  "maintained  that  j 
love  was  only  useful  in  the  education  of  men  when  in  con- 1 
junction  with  fear ;  for  they  must  learn  to  root  out  thorns  I 
and  thistles,  which  they  never  do  of  their  own  accord,  but  1 
only  under  compulsion,  and  in  consequence  of  training. 

He  knew  his  children  better  in  eight  days  than  their  parents 
did  in  eight  years,  and  employed  this  knowledge  to  render  de- 
ception difficult,  and  to  keep  their  hearts  open  before  his  eyes. 
J  He  cared  for  their  heads  as  he  did  for  their  hearts,  demanding 
that  whatever  entered  them  should  be  plain  and  clear  as  the 
silent  moon  in  the  sky.  To  insure  this,  he  taught  them  to 
see  and  hear  with  accuracy,  and  cultivated  their  powers  of/ 
attention.  Above  all,  he  sought  to  give  them  a  thorougl 
training  in  arithmetic ;  for  he  was  convinced  that  arithmetic 
is  the  natural  safeguard  against  error  in  the  pursuit  of  truth. 

Despite  the  children's  rapid  progress  in  their  school,  th"e 
lieutenant  did  not  please  everybody  in  the  village,  and  a 
rumor  soon  spread  abroad  that  he  was  too  proud  for  a 
schoolmaster.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  children  contradicted 
this  report;  their  parents  only  answered:  "Even  if  he  is 
good  to  you,  he  may  be  proud  all  the  same."  It  was  not 
until  three  weeks  after  the  beginning  of  the  school,  that  an 
event  occurred  which  accomplished  for  him  what  the  chil- 
dren's defence  had  been  unable  to  do. 

For  the  last  twenty  years  the  old  rotten  foot-bridge  oppo- 
site the  schoolhouse  had  been  out  of  repair,  so  that  in  a 
rainy  season  the  children  must  get  wet  above  their  ankles  in 


158          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

crossing  the  lane  to  school.  The  first  time  the  road  was  in 
this  condition,  Glulphi  planted  himself  in  the  middle  of  the 
street  in  all  the  rain,  and  as  the  children  came,  lifted  them, 
one  after  the  other,  across  the  brook.  Now  it  happened  that 
some  of  the  very  persons  who  had  complained  most  of  the 
lieutenant's  pride,  lived  just  across  the  way.  It  amused 
them  greatly  to  see  him  get  wet  through  and  through  in  his 
red  coat,  and  they  fancied  it  would  not  be  many  minutes 
before  he  would  call  to  them  for  help.  When,  however,  he 
kept  on  patiently  lifting  the  children  over,  until  his  hair  and 
clothes  were  dripping  wet,  they  began  to  say  behind  the 
window-panes :  "  He  must  be  a  good-natured  fool,  and  we 
were  certainly  mistaken ;  if  he  were  proud,  he  would  have 
given  it  up  long  ago."  Finally,  they  came  out,  and  offered 
to  relieve  him  from  his  task,  while  he  went  home  and  dried 
himself.  But  this  was  not  all ;  when  school  was  out  that 
day,  the  children  found  a  foot-bridge  built,  over  which  they 
could  go  home  dry-shod.  And  from  that  day  forth,  not  a 
word  more  was  heard  of  the  schoolmaster's  pride. 

The  school  was  still  not  without  enemies,  the  bitterest 
among  them  being  the  old  schoolmaster,  whose  envy  and 
rage  at  its  success  would  have  known  no  bounds,  had  he  not 
feared  to  lose  the  pension  which  had  been  granted  him  by 
Arner,  on  condition  that  he  should  not  set  himself  against 
the  new  order  of  things.  But  the  schoolmaster  was  not  the 
only  man  in  the  village  who  looked  back  with  regret  to 
bygone  days.  Half  of  the  villagers  had  been  accustomed 
to  spend  their  evenings  at  the  tavern,  and  the  bitterest 
complaints  were  heard  on  all  sides,  because,  after  the  affair 
with  Hummel,  Arner  had  caused  this  house  to  be  closed. 
As  soon  as  he  learned  the  state  of  things,  and  found  that 
many  of  the  former  loafers  were  making  their  homes  misera- 
ble by  their  idle  discontent,  Arner  opened  the  peat  swamps 
in  the  vicinity  of  Bonnal,  and  at  once  supplied  more  than 
fifty  men  with  good  employment. 


LEONAED  AND  GERTRUDE.          159 

The  condition  of  the  poor  people  of  the  village  was  much 
improved  in  various  ways.  The  prospect  of  tithe-free  land 
brought  order  and  thrift  into  the  houses  of  many  of  the 
spinners,  and  the  poor  in  general  were  no  longer  so  servile 
in  then-  obedience  to  the  whims  and  exactions  of  the  rich. 
Renold's  wife,  who  had  always  been  noted  for  her  charity, 
began  to  see  that  more  good  could  be  done  by  leading  the 
people  to  help  themselves,  than  by  all  her  alms-giving ;  and 
now,  whenever  her  aid  was  asked,  her  first  answer  was  :  "  I 
must  go  home  with  you,  and  see  what  you  really  need,  and 
how  I  can  best  help  you." 

Every  evening  the  lieutenant  had  a  half  dozen  young 
people  at  his  house,  to  whom  he  talked  for  hours  of  what 
Arner  and  the  pastor  intended,  and  showed  how  their 
designs  had  been  misunderstood.  Among  his  hearers  was 
one  young  man,  Lindenberger  by  name,  who  seemed  to  com- 
prehend it  all  at  a  single  word,  and  whose  clear  and  forcible 
language  served  to  set  things  in  their  true  light  before  many 
of  the  villagers. 

It  was  only  the  old  generation,  who  were  hardened  in  vice, 
for  whom  the  new  era  that  was  opening  contained  no  pros- 
pect of  anything  better.  The  quack  doctor  Treufaug,  who 
had  promised  the  parson  to  abstain  from  his  evil  practices, 
could  not  resolve  to  leave  his  old  life  and  lead  a  good  and 
useful  one  ;  the  former  Bailiff  Hummel,  when  freed  from  the 
pressure  which  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon  him  in  the 
time  of  his  great  humiliation,  and  deprived  of  his  daily  inter- 
course with  the  pastor,  fell  back  into  his  old  ways,  so  far 
as  his  changed  circumstances  would  allow ;  and  Hartknopf , 
after  a  brief  season  of  repentance,  became  the  same  canting 
hypocrite  as  ever. 


160          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXXIH. 

A   DISTURBING   ELEMENT   AND   AN   EXCITING   ADVENTURE. 

ONE  day  Arner  received  a  letter  from  his  uncle,  the  Gen« 
eral  von  Arnburg,  announcing  that  he  was  coming,  with  his 
niece  Sylvia,  to  visit  his  nephew  for  a  few  weeks.  This 
Sylvia,  who  has  already  been  mentioned  in  connection  with 
Eichenberger's  daughter  as  an  enemy  of  Arner,  had  been 
brought  up  by  the  general's  bounty  after  her  father's  death. 
She  was  headstrong  and  arrogant  by  nature,  and  these  faults 
of  disposition  had  not  been  corrected  by  her  education,  but 
merely  covered  with  a  veneer  of  social  polish.  She  hated 
Arner,  both  for  his  philanthropic  principles,  and  because  he 
was  heir  to  her  uncle's  property.  In  her  ambition  for  wealth 
and  distinction,  she  tried  to  induce  Helidorus,  the  favorite 
minister  of  the  Duke,  to  procure  her  a  rich  and  titled  husband 
as  well  as  to  influence  the  general  to  disinherit  Arner  in  her 
interest.  Helidorus  was  a  deadly  enemy  to  Bylifsky  and 
Arner,  as  also  to  the  schemes  they  advocated  for  the 
improvement  of  existing  evils,  and  therefore  was  glad  to 
make  use  of  Sylvia's  aid  in  obtaining  information  regarding 
the  course  things  were  taking  in  Bonnal  under  the  new 
administration.  He  had  been  rendered  very  uneasy,  both 
by  the  reports  of  Gliilphi's  school,  and  the  news  that  Arner 
and  Theresa,  the  pastor  and  his  wife,  Cotton  Meyer  and  his 
sister,  and  the  mason's  wife  Gertrude,  met  together  every 
week  to  discuss  the  affairs  of  the  village.  Since,  through 
Bylif sky's  influence,  the  Duke  was  becoming  interested  in 
Arner's  innovations,  Helidorus  felt  there  was  need  of  a  bold 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          161 

move  on  his  own  part,  to  nip  the  success  of  his  rivals  in  the 
bud.  It  was  accordingly  with  the  hope  of  bringing  Arner 
into  ill  repute,  and  making  his  dreams  the  laughter  of  the 
court,  that  he  induced  Sylvia  to  go  to  Arnheim,  trusting 
to  her  known  ability  for  mischief-making  to  take  advantage 
of  her  opportunities  when  on  the  spot. 

Arner  was  not  without  a  foreboding  of  evil  when  he 
learned  the  projected  visit ;  and  indeed,  Sylvia  had  not  been 
many  days  in  the  house,  before  her  influence  began  to  make 
itself  felt.  She  tried  in  every  way  to  turn  her  uncle  against 
Arner,  talking  of  the  unsuitable  education  he  was  giving  his 
son  Karl,  and  ridiculing  the  way  in  which  he  granted  audi- 
ence to  every  old  peasant  woman  who  came  to  the  Castle. 
Worst  of  all,  however,  were  Sylvia's  attempts  to  injure  the 
lieutenant.  She  caused  the  huntsman  they  had  brought 
with  them  to  spread  various  bad  reports  about  Glulphi  in  the 
village,  and  the  credulous  peasants  were  not  slow  to  believe 
that  their  new  schoolmaster  was  a  runaway  soldier,  who 
could  find  no  asylum  elsewhere.  This  slander  was  so 
injurious  to  the  good  cause  in  Bonnal,  that  the  pastor  at 
length  found  it  necessary  to  inform  Arner  of  the  matter,  and 
sent  Michael  with  a  letter  to  Arnheim. 

It  was  a  hot  day,  and  there  was  company  at  the  Castle. 
After  drinking  rather  more  freely  than  usual,  the  general 
had  seated  himself  with  Sylvia  on  the  terrace.  Suddenly 
she  pointed  to  a  peasant  standing  at  the  outer  gate,  and 
said:  "Arner  will  leave  us  again  now,  as  somebody  has 
come  for  him."  In  the  old  man's  excited  state,  this  was 
like  adding  fuel  to  fire,  and  he  called  out  to  the  fellow  to  be 
gone.  But  Michael  would  not  depart  without  delivering  his 
fetter,  and  only  drew  back  a  little  to  bide  his  time.  "There  ! " 
exclaimed  Sylvia  to  her  uncle ;  "  you  see,  every  peasant 
knows  how  much  power  you  have  here ! "  —  and  with  such 
words  she  led  him  on,  until  he  called  to  the  huntsman  bekxw 
to  chase  the  peasant  away  with  the  dogs. 


162  LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE. 

At  this  moment,  the  general  was  summoned  in  to  his 
game,  and  the  huntsman  would  have  calmly  minded  his  own 
business,  had  not  Sylvia  beckoned  to  him  to  fulfil  his  orders. 
Karl  was  looking  on,  and  when  he  saw  the  two  dogs  loosed 
and  set  on  the  unoffending  man,  he  followed  at  full  speed, 
calling  them  back.  He  seized  Sultan,  the  hindermost,  by 
the  collar,  and  ran  on  with  him,  shouting  :  "  Turk,  Turk ! " 

Sylvia  stood  watching  the  scene  from  the  terrace,  as  if  it 
were  a  comedy,  and  called  after  Karl .  "You  foolish  boy! 
He  will  not  eat  him ! "  This  was  true ;  indeed,  the  dog 
would  not  even  have  bitten  him,  had  Michael  understood  his 
training ;  for  the  dogs  of  the  Castle  were  taught,  when  sent 
after  poor  people,  to  tear  off  a  generous  piece  of  their  rags, 
and  then  let  them  go  free.  But  Michael,  ignorant  of  this, 
planted  his  back  against  the  wall,  and  received  the  animal 
with  his  knotted  stick,  with  the  air  of  one  who  has  seen  dogs 
before,  and  is  not  afraid  of  them.  Turk  was  so  astonished 
at  this  unusual  reception,  that,  forgetting  his  rules  of  breed- 
ing, he  behaved  like  a  dog  without  education,  and  buried  his 
teeth  in  the  peasant's  thigh.  Michael,  however,  being  the 
stronger  of  the  two,  swung  his  stick,  and  dealt  his  assailant 
so  sharp  a  blow  on  the  ribs,  that  the  creature  retreated  with 
a  howl,  just  as  Karl  came  up  with  Sultan. 

"Come  with  me,"  said  the  boy  kindly,  reaching  the 
wounded  man  his  hand.  Then  he  excused  his  father,  saying 
that  he  was  not  at  all  to  blame.  "  I  know  he  is  not,"  said 
Michael ;  "  and  I  would  think  none  the  less  of  him  if  I  were 
to  die  of  it." 

"  But  you  will  not  die?  —  you  will  not?"  asked  Karl  anx- 
iously, as  he  saw  the  red  drops  trickling  down  his  side.  The 
blood  flowed  more  and  more  freely,  and  feeling  he  was  on  the 
point  of  fainting,  Michael  begged  the  boy  to  send  Klaus  to 
him  as  quickly  as  possible. 

When  he  had  done  this,  Karl  wen*1  directly  to  the  parlor, 


LEONAUD  AND  GERTRUDE.  163 

just  as  he  was,  with  rumpled  hair  and  bloody  hands,  and 
pressed  through  the  throng  of  gentlemen  and  ladies,  to  tell 
his  father  what  had  happened.  Sylvia  called  out,  with  the 
cards  in  her  hand,  that  she  begged  the  young  gentleman  not 
to  make  such  a  fuss,  for  she  had  seen  the  whole  affair,  and 
knew  that  the  fellow  had  gone  away  from  the  Castle  safe  and 
sound,  so  that  he  could  not  be  much  hurt,  —  besides,  it  was 
all  his  own  fault.  Arner  interrupted  her  voluble  speech, 
and  requested  her  with  dignity  to  allow  the  child  to  relate 
what  had  happened.  The  attention  of  all  was  aroused,  as 
the  boy  began  anew :  "  It  is  all  her  fault,  —  and  nobody  else 
is  to  blame  !  " 

At  this  moment  the  housekeeper  rushed  into  the  room, 
exclaiming  breathlessly:  "The  man  is  lying  dead  on  the 
lawn !  " 

The  words  had  hardly  left  her  lips  before  Arner  was  out 
of  the  room  and  down  the  stairs,  not  heeding  that  in  his 
haste  his  spur  had  caught  in  the  table-cloth,  dragging  por- 
celain, glass  and  silver  to  the  floor.  Theresa  followed  him. 
As  they  reached  the  spot,  Michael  awoke  from  his  swoon, 
and  was  much  gratified  by  their  sympathy.  Arner  himself 
helped  him  into  the  house,  and  causing  his  wound  to  be 
dressed  with  the  utmost  care,  sent  him  home  in  a  litter. 


164          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE   PEASANTS   TAKE   JUSTICE   INTO   THEIR   OWN   HANDS. 

WHEN  Arner  read  the  letter  delivered  to  him  by  Michael, 
he  groaned  out :  "  It  is  too  much  for  one  day !  "  He  trem- 
bled so  with  rage  and  grief  that  he  could  not  finish  reading, 
and  Theresa,  catching  a  glimpse  of  his  face,  exclaimed : 
"  Good  Heavens  !  You  look  worse  than  Michael  himself !  " 

" I  wish" —  he  answered  with  fixed  eyes —  " I  wish  that 
only  a  dog  had  bitten  me  I  A  worse  beast  is  gnawing  at  my 
heart." 

This  sounded, so  unlike  Arner  that  Theresa  was  terrified. 
"Do  go  to  bed,"  she  pleaded;  "you  are  sick!"  He  was 
obliged  to  follow  her  advice,  for  when  he  attempted  to  rise, 
he  sank  back  powerless.  That  evening  he  was  in  a  high 
fever. 

The  effects  of  the  wine  over,  the  general,  also,  was  unable 
to  sleep  that  night.  Confused  pictures  of  the  event  with  the 
dog  filled  his  mind ;  he  did  not  quite  know  whether  he  or 
Sylvia  had  been  to  blame,  or  whether  the  man  was  really 
dead.  He  heard  Klaus  going  back  and  forth  from  Arner's 
room,  and  called  to  him  to  know  what  was  the  matter,  and 
whether  the  man  was  dead.  "  No,  he  is  not  dead,  but  might 
have  been ;  and  my  master  is  far  from  well,"  answered  the 
servant. 

The  general  questioned  him  narrowly  with  regard  to  the 
incident,  and  learned  that  everybody  regarded  Sylvia  as  the 
sole  cause  of  the  mishap.  "Then  many  people  know  that 
she  is  to  blame  ?  "  the  old  gentleman  inquired. 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  165 

"  Certainly." 

"  And  what  did  they  say  to  it?  " 

"  Your  Grace  can  imagine  what  common  people  would  say, 
when  they  think  they  might  have  been  in  his  place." 

"  No,  tell  me  just  what  they  said." 

"  Well,  then,  they  said  it  was  a  cursed  trick,  and  it  would 
be  good  enough  for  her  if  she  should  get  her  reward  for  it  in 
this  world.  I  beg  your  Grace  not  to  be  offended." 

"  Certainly  not.  God  be  praised  that  the  man  is  not 
dead ! " 

"  Your  Grace  may  well  say  that  on  the  lady's  account." 

"How  so?" 

"  She  wouldn't  be  sure  of  her  life  if  he  had  died." 

"  But  certainly  no  one  would  do  her  any  injury  now? " 

"  I  wouldn't  advise  her  to  go  very  far  from  the  Castle 
alone,  Sir,  until  the  first  storm  has  blown  over." 

Encouraged  by  the  friendliness  of  the  general,  Klaus  went 
on  to  speak  very  frankly  of  Sylvia's  unpopularity  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  also  informed  him  of  the  reports  she  had  been 
circulating  about  the  lieutenant.  The  old  man  was  over- 
whelmed by  what  he  had  heard,  and  going  to  Sylvia's  room 
in  the  morning,  he  told  her  of  Arner's  illness,  and  reproached 
her  for  her  conduct  regarding  Gliilphi.  Enraged  at  this 
reproof,  she  declared  she  had  been  slandered,  and  would  go 
alone  to  Bonnal  as  soon  as  lunch,  to  investigate  the  matter. 
The  general  mentioned  the  warning  he  had  received  from 
Klaus,  and  besought  her  to  take  some  one  with  her ;  but  his 
very  anxiety  aroused  her  antagonism,  and  she  set  forth  quite 
alone  toward  the  village. 

In  the  tavern  by  the  wayside,  that  afternoon,  the  peasants 
were  talking  of  Sylvia.  There  was  but  one  voice  among 
them  ;  all  declared  that  such  an  inhuman  deed  had  not  been 
done  within  the  memory  of  man,  and  that  it  would  be  a 
praiseworthy  action  for  the  first  of  them  who  met  her  to  set 


166          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

his  dog  on  her.  A  butcher  came  forth  from  this  conclave, 
and  was  driving  his  cart  along  the  outskirts  of  the  wood, 
when  he  saw  a  single  figure  on  the  road  before  him.  Small, 
thin,  dressed  like  no  one  else,  full  of  all  sorts  of  angles  and 
flourishes,  so  that  whoever  looked  at  her  saw  something 
beside  the  individual  herself, — yes,  the  description  certainly 
corresponded,  and  the  solitary  wayfarer  could  be  no  other 
than  the  obnoxious  Sylvia. 

The  butcher's  blood  seethed ;  his  heart  beat  violently.  He 
looked  about  him,  but  no  one  was  in  sight.  He  turned  his 
cart  into  the  border  of  the  wood,  while  his  strong  young  dog 
wagged  his  tail,  and  sprang  to  and  fro.  "  Shall  I,  or  shall 
I  not?"  the  man  asked  himself.  The  temptation  was  too 
strong,  and  pointing  with  his  finger  through  the  fir-trees,  he 
gave  the  animal  a  signal.  The  dog  sprang  forward,  and  in 
an  instant  had  reached  his  goal.  True  to  his  training,  he  did 
not  touch  his  victim  with  his  teeth,  but  jumped  upon  her, 
sprang  down  and  bounded  about  her,  and  then  leaped  upon 
her  again,  barking  loudly  the  while.  Sylvia's  girdle  broke 
beneath  the  paws  of  her  assailant,  and  the  thin  upper  gar- 
ment tore  from  top  to  bottom  whenever  he  touched  her,  so 
that  she  was  soon  surrounded  by  white  fluttering  shreds. 
The  net  from  the  back  of  her  head  hung  down  upon  her  neck, 
and  its  artificial  contents  fell  out  upon  the  ground,  while  the 
air  around  was  rent  with  her  screams. 

The  butcher  calmly  took  out  his  watch,  and  said  to  him- 
self: "  Two  minutes  she  shall  have  !  "  —  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  whistled  the  dog  back  again.  The  huntsman,  whom 
the  general,  in  his  anxiety,  had  sent  after  his  niece,  heard 
cries  of  distress  for  some  time,  before  it  entered  his  head 
that  such  a  screeching  could  proceed  from  the  lips  of  his 
gracious  mistress.  When  he  came  near  enough  to  see  the 
source  of  the  disturbance,  the  picture  which  presented  itself 
to  his  view  was  almost  too  much  for  his  gravity,  and  he  was 


LEONARD   AND   GERTRUDE.  167 

obliged  to  turn  away  and  compose  his  features,  before  he 
"could  come  forward  and  ask  the  cause  of  Sylvia's  sad 
plight. 

To  her  explanation  that  a  mad  dog  had  assailed  her,  the 
huntsman  lent  an  incredulous  ear,  and  informed  her  that  mad 
dogs  were  not  in  the  habit  of  making  rents  in  people's  clothes 
without  biting.  Nevertheless,  Sylvia  was  almost  beside  her- 
self with  fear,  and  fancied  herself  in  the  first  stages  of  hydro- 
phobia, although  everybody  assured  her  that  the  scratches 
she  had  received  here  and  there  were  from  the  claws  and  not 
the  teeth  of  the  animal.  She  was  also  quite  unable  to  give 
any  description  of  the  dog  which  had  attacked  her ;  it  was 
larger  than  she  herself,  she  said,  —  she  had  never  seen  such 
teeth,  and  such  cavernous  jaws.  She  could  not  even  say 
what  color  the  creature  was,  —  it  had  appeared  to  her  first 
white,  then  black ;  and  it  seemed  to  her  now  that  she  had 
seen  nothing  but  its  head  and  mouth.  There  was  naturally 
nothing  to  be  gathered  from  such  an  account,  and  nobody 
knew  exactly  what  steps  to  take  in  the  matter. 

When  Sylvia  awoke  the  next  morning  to  a  calmer  mood, 
she  remembered  to  have  heard  a  whistle  from  the  woods, 
and  had  no  doubt  the  dog  must  have  been  set  on  her.  A 
desire  of  revenge  at  once  filled  her  soul,  and  she  advocated 
arresting  every  peasant  who  kept  a  dog  and  was  in  the  habit 
of  whistling.  When  her  uncle  did  not  favor  such  summary 
measures,  she  asked  reproachfully  :  "  Will  you  not  imprison 
a  single  man  on  my  account?  " 

"  Not  even  a  cat  at  random,"  replied  the  general  coldly, 
as  he  left  the  room. 

Sylvia's  pride  was  deeply  humbled,  and  she  fell  into  a 
species  of  dejection.  She  felt  of  how  little  consequence  she 
was  in  the  world,  and  that  she  was  not  even  able  to  carry  out 
her  designs  against  Arner.  What  no  living  man  could  have 
done,  the  butcher's  dog  had  accomplished,  —  he  had  brought 
her  to  a  knowledge  of  herself  ! 


168  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTEE  XXXV. 

RESULTS  OF  ARNER'S  ILLNESS,    AND    THE  BETROTHAL    OF   A 
STEP-MOTHER. 

ARNER  constantly  grew  sicker ;  each  night  the  fever  was 
higher,  and  day  after  day  saw  his  strength  wane.  Theresa 
and  the  children  could  neither  sleep  nor  eat  from  anxietj', 
and  every  hour  seemed  a  year.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Castle  were  panic-stricken,  the  general  most  of  all;  he  lost 
flesh  and  color  more  than  the  sick  man  himself,  and  passed 
more  sleepless  nights  than  he  had  ever  done  in  ah"  his  life 
before.  The  thought  was  ever  present  in  his  mind  that 
Arner  must  die,  and  he  was  to  blame.  Sylvia's  condition 
was  scarcely  better,  although  owing  to  a  different  cause,  for 
Arner's  fate  did  not  concern  her  in  the  least.  The  servants 
were  so  incensed  at  the  cause  of  their  master's  illness,  that 
a  word  would  have  sufficed  to  make  them  throw  her  out  of 
the  window ;  and  they  would  hardly  suffer  the  huntsman 
among  them.  Arner  alone  was  calm,  —  for  the  fever  had 
left  his  head  clear;  and  he  spoke  cheerfully  with  his  wife 
and  friends  of  his  approaching  end. 

When  the  news  reached  the  village  that  Arner  was  at  the 
point  of  death,  the  children  began  to  cry  with  one  impulse, 
and  many  of  the  parents  wept  with  them,  while  all  could 
relate  some  kindness  he  had  done  them  or  theirs.  But  after 
an  hour  had  passed,  the  state  of  feeling  was  altered.  They 
regarded  him  as  dead,  and  began  to  think  what  changes  his 
absence  would  bring  about.  More  swiftly  than  the  spider 
upins  its  thread,  the  strangest  thoughts  and  desires  were 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  169 

evolved  from  the  brains  of  these  villagers.  Whoever  had 
wanted  something  which  Arner  had  prevented  him  from 
obtaining,  or  whoever  was  not  satisfied  with  the  existing 
order  of  things,  began  to  think :  "  Now  all  will  be  different." 

The  wealthy  peasants  had  never  forgotten  the  humiliation 
they  had  suffered  under  the  linden-tree,  and  the  paupers  to 
whom  Arner  had  advanced  the  money  for  goats,  thought  that 
now  they  would  not  be  obliged  to  pay  him.  Wine  was  brought 
across  the  mountain  to  the  tavern  in  broad  daylight,  and  the 
herd-boys  drove  then*  animals  into  the  enclosures  of  the  poor, 
while  the  rich  laughed. 

The  Bailiff  Meyer  had  never  felt  so  comfortable  since  he 
wore  the  mantle  of  office,  and  asked  everybody  from  the 
Castle,  with  a  melancholy  face,  whether  it  was  really  true 
that  there  was  no  hope  of  recovery.  His  wife  was  likewise 
content,  for  she  thought  her  rich  cousin,  the  innkeeper, 
might  now  be  successful  with  her  sister-in-law,  who  would 
certainly  give  up  all  thoughts  of  Hubel-Rudy.  Meyer  went 
to  his  sister  to  advise  her  on  this  point,  but  she  indignantly 
repulsed  him.  It  enraged  her  that  they  should  imagine  she 
could  marry  a  man  solely  on  Arner's  account,  and  also  that 
they  should  take  advantage  of  the  latter's  sickness  to  deprive 
poor  Rudy  of  his  wished- for  bride.  "  No ! "  she  cried,  as 
soon  as  she  was  alone  ;  "  I  will  show  them  that  I  don't  take 
him  for  Arner's  sake,  but  for  his  own  !  The  poor  man  has 
waited  long  enough,  —  I  will  take  him  now,  in  God's  name." 

Tears  fell  from  her  eyes ;  she  thought  no  more  of  either 
the  Bailiff  or  his  wife,  and  even  forgot  how  she  had  come 
to  her  decision ;  she  only  saw  Rudy  and  his  children  before 
her,  and  their  room  with  the  engravings  on  the  wail.  Clos- 
ing the  door,  she  took  down  her  prayer-book  from  its  shelf, 
and  read  aloud  the  prayer  of  a  daughter  who  is  about  to 
enter  the  estate  of  matrimony ;  then  la}'ing  her  head  upon 
her  hands,  she  moistened  the  page  with  her  tears,  and  prayed 


170          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

God  to  bless  her  resolution.  She  finally  dried  her  eyes,  and 
went  with  a  full  heart  to  the  mason's  house. 

Gertrude  was  displeased  with  her  friend  for  keeping  Rudy 
so  long  in  suspense,  and  when  she  saw  her  coming  slowly  up 
the  street  with  an  absent  gaze,  she  had  no  suspicion  of  the 
tidings  she  was  bringing,  and  would  not  even  step  to  the 
door  to  meet  her.  Meyer's  sister  came  in  and  sat  heavily 
down,  gasping  out  as  if  short  of  breath:  "I  have  made  up 
my  mind,  and  am  going  to  take  him." 

Gertrude  thought  she  referred  to  the  rich  innkeeper,  and 
answered  with  sad  reproach  in  her  tones :  "  I  wouldn't  have 
thought  it  of  you !  " 

"  What?"  inquired  her  visitor  surprised. 

"  That  you  could  be  such  a  weather-cock !  " 

"  How  do  you  mean?  Don't  you  understand  what  I  say? 
Or  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"It  grieves  me  that  all  of  a  sudden  you  turn  round  and 
take  the  innkeeper,  just  because  Arner  is  sick." 

"  Now  at  last  you  speak  so  that  I  can  understand  you !  " 
said  Meyer's  sister  smiling. 

"  Can  you  laugh?"  asked  Gertrude  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  have  cause." 

"  Indeed  you  have  not !  — and  you  make  me  angry." 

"Oh,  I  was  only  joking;  he  doesn't  know  it  yet,  and  if 
you  will  make  it  up  with  me,  who  knows  what  I  might  do  to 
please  you?" 

' '  You  will  drive  me  distracted  ! " 

"  And  you  amuse  me!  Don't  you  see  that  you  are  under 
a  mistake  ?  I  am  not  going  to  take  the  innkeeper  "  — 

"But  —  surely  you  were  not  speaking  of  Rudy!  "cried 
Gertrude,  a  light  breaking  in  upon  her  at  last. 

Soon  after  this  explanation,  the  two  friends  set  out  for 
Rudy's  cottage.  He  was  winding  his  children's  yarn,  but 
the  reel  stood  still  in  his  hand  when  he  saw  them  cross  the 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          171 

threshold.  He  could  not  move  or  speak.  Meyer's  sister 
seated  herself  beside  him,  and  Gertrude  said  :  "  Now  she  is 
yours ! " 

The  children  rose  from  their  wheels,  and  Gertrude  said  to 
them :  ' '  Now  she  is  your  mother !  "  Meyer's  sister  took 
them  one  after  the  other  by  the  hand,  saying:  "  Dear  chil- 
dren, may  God  bless  us  together ! "  —  and  then  Rudy,  who 
held  her  hand  in  both  of  his,  added :  "  God  grant  it !  " 

She  spent  the  whole  evening  in  the  house,  telling  Gertrude 
it  would  give  her  pleasure  to  do  as  if  she  already  belonged 
there.  Accordingly,  she  took  Rudy's  reel,  saying  it  did  not 
go  exactly  right,  and  wound  away  merrily ;  she  helped  the 
children  with  their  wheels,  braided  the  hah-  of  two  of  them, 
and  cooked  porridge  for  the  little  ones.  She  took  the  baby 
in  her  lap,  and  fed  it ;  then  undressing  it,  she  held  it  a  while 
naked  in  her  arms,  as  the  painted  Madonna  does  the  Christ- 
child  ;  and  after  making  it  say  good  night  to  all  its  brothers 
and  sisters,  she  put  it  to  bed  and  sang  it  to  sleep.  When 
she  went  home,  she  picked  a  bunch  of  flowers  from  Rudy 'a 
garden,  and  carried  it  with  her. 


172  LEONARD  AND   GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

SUSPENSE,  JOY,  AND  A  WEDDING. 

THE  idea  became  more  and  more  diffused  in  the  village 
that  Arner's  death  would  bring  about  a  universal  change. 
When  the  children  came  home  from  school  and  related  that 
the  lieutenant  always  had  red  eyes,  many  of  the  parents 
made  answer .  ' '  He  has  good  cause  ;  his  bread  and  butter 
are  gone,  when  Arner  dies."  Speeches  of  this  sort  made 
the  children  so  anxious,  that  after  school  they  gathered 
about  Gliilphi,  and  the  one  who  stood  nearest  asked  him, 
trembling,  to  please  tell  them  if  he  would  not  be  able  to  be 
their  schoolmaster  any  longer,  in  case  Arner  died?  At  first 
he  was  unable  to  speak,  so  much  was  he  moved ;  he  stood 
by  the  window  and  gasped  for  breath,  like  a  man  who  is 
suffocating.  Then  turning,  he  stretched  out  both  arms,  and 
cried:  "  My  children,  even  if  it  should  please  God  not  to 
restore  Arner  to  us,  I  will  still  remain  with  you ! "  The 
children  went  joyfully  home,  but  their  parents  did  not  believe 
his  words. 

When  the  village  talk  about  the  lieutenant  came  to 
Maria's  ears,  she  begged  her  brother,  Cotton  Meyer,  to 
insure  the  safety  of  the  new  school,  and  also  induced  the 
wife  of  the  younger  Renold  to  interest  her  husband  in  the 
project.  They  all  went  together  to  good  old  Renold,  whom 
every  one  loved  and  respected,  and  he  gladly  consented  to 
be  their  agent  in  the  affair.  He  went  from  house  to  house, 
to  all  the  richest  peasants  in  Bonnal,  and  after  laying  the 
matter  before  them,  remarked  that  if  they  were  not  willing 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          173 

to  sign  the  pledge  he  carried,  for  the  good  of  their  children 
and  of  the  village,  he  himself  would  stand  surety  for  their 
portion  of  the  expense  of  the  school,  and  would  write  them 
down  as  recipients  of  this  charity.  This  means  was  effec- 
tual, for  no  one  was  willing  to  be  enrolled  on  the  charity 
list ;  so  that  by  evening  the  number  of  signatures  was 
complete. 

Meanwhile,  the  news  of  Arner's  illness  had  spread  to  the 
court  of  the  Duke,  and  Bylifsky  begged  for  permission  to 
set  out  at  once  for  Arnheim.  The  Duke  not  only  granted 
his  request,  but  bade  him  take  the  court  physician  with  him, 
and  use  means  to  secure  Arner  from  annoyance  of  every 
kind.  The  renowned  doctor  shrugged  his  shoulders  when  he 
saw  his  patient ;  then  he  opened  his  medicine-box,  and  every 
sort  of  perfume  filled  the  room.  Frightful  silver  and  gold 
pincers,  needles,  knives,  sponges  and  bandages,  pieces  of 
snakes,  pulverized  flies,  poison,  metals,  semi-metals,  chemi- 
cal secrets  and  natural  powders,  salves  and  plasters,  all  lay 
together  in  this  chest.  He  weighed,  mixed,  rubbed,  heated 
and  cooled,  and  before  an  hour  had  passed,  Arner  had  a 
sample  of  all  the  above  on  his  body,  and  no  less  a  variety 
within. 

The  condition  of  the  sick  man  had  become  very  critical ; 
he  fell  into  a  sort  of  stupor,  and  the  physician  ordered  the 
family  to  leave  the  room.  They  waited  outside  in  terrible 
suspense,  momentarily  expecting  the  news  of  his  death. 
Theresa  had  fainted ;  the  children  sank  on  their  knees,  and 
the  pastor  prayed  aloud.  Suddenly  there  was  a  slight  move- 
ment inside ;  the  doctor  opened  the  door  noiseless!}*,  and 
whispered  :  "  He  perspires,  and  I  still  have  some  hope."  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  later,  the  report  was  still  favorable,  and 
all  through  the  suspense  of  that  dreadful  night  the  tidings 
were  constantly  encouraging. 

The  next  morning  he  was  decidedly  better,  but  so  weak 


174          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

that  the  physician  forbade  any  one  to  visit  him.  Bylifsky 
only  saw  him  through  the  half -open  door,  and  then  spent 
the  day  with  the  pastor  and  lieutenant  in  Bonnal.  The 
minister  examined  with  the  closest  attention  all  the  changes 
which  had  taken  'place  of  late  in  the  village,  and  remained 
in  the  school  during  both  sessions,  from  the  opening  to  the 
close.  He  inspected  narrowly  the  work  of  the  children,  and 
paid  especial  attention  to  the  union  of  study  and  manual 
labor,  but  said  not  a  word  until  he  had  seen  all.  Then  he 
expressed  to  the  somewhat  anxious  lieutenant  the  warmest 
approbation  of  his  methods.  "I  find  your  plans  in  harmony 
both  with  the  inner  nature  of  man  and  his  actual  social  con- 
dition," he  said.  "Man  is  only  happy  and  secure  in  this 
world,  when  he  is  so  developed  as  to  be  able  to  fill  well  that 
place  in  society  to  which  he  can  legitimately  lay  claim. 
This  demand  is  met  by  your  methods  in  a  more  perfect 
degree  than  I  have  ever  seen  before.  Yes,  my  dear  lieu- 
tenant, if  the  Cabinet  had  wished  to  originate  a  plan  by 
which  the  people  should  be  educated  from  the  stand-point  of 
their  greatest  capacity  for  useful  service,  it  would  have  been 
necessary  to  set  to  work  in  very  much  the  same  way  that 
you  have  done." 

A  tear  trembled  in  Glulphi's  eye,  but  he  could  not  speak. 
Bylifsky  pressed  his  hand,  and  said  in  parting :  "  Count  on 
me,  but  keep  on  with  your  work  as  if  you  did  not  know  me. 
and  as  if  there  were  no  such  person  as  I  in  the  world." 

Aruer's  recovery  progressed  slowly  from  day  to  day. 
The  people  of  Bonnal  now  discovered  that  there  was  no  one 
on  earth  so  dear  to  them  as  he,  and  many  were  the  tokens  of 
sympathy  and  interest  which  he  received.  The  children 
formed  a  procession,  and  went  to  the  Castle  to  congratulate 
their  beloved  father  on  his  recovery.  He  received  them 
kindly,  and  talked  long  with  them,  of  their  school,  their 
goats,  and  their  savings.  Before  long,  it  was  known  in  the 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.          175 

village  that  the  Bailiff  Meyer  had  been  replaced  in  office  by 
Cotton  Meyer,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing  of  the  poor  at 
this  event. 

The  first  time  that  Arner  was  able  to  drive  from  the  Cas- 
tle to  the  Bonnal  church,  a  grand  festival  was  planned  in  his 
honor.  The  bells  pealed  at  sunrise,  and  all  the  inhabitants, 
old  and  young,  went  forth  to  meet  him.  The  children  were 
adorned  with  flowers,  and  the  procession  was  led  by  Rudy's 
bridal  party,  for  he  had  determined  to  be  married  on  that 
day. 

When  they  heard  Arner's  carriage  in  the  distance,  they  all 
ran  to  meet  him,  so  that  he  heard  their  glad  shouts  of  wel- 
come before  he  could  see  them  through  the  fir-trees.  He 
descended  from  his  carnage,  and  hastened  toward  his  de- 
voted people  on  foot.  After  exchanging  greetings  with  all, 
he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  throng,  with  Rudy  by 
his  side,  while  Theresa  led  Me}Ter's  sister,  and  the  whole 
procession  streamed  joyously  down  the  mountain  to  the 
church.  There  they  knelt  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for 
sparing  Arner's  life,  and  sang  a  hymn  of  praise,  after  which 
the  bridal  pair  was  led  to  the  altar. 

Such  a  wedding  had  never  been  seen  in  Bonnal !  The 
bells  rang  merrily,  while  Arner  led  the  bride  to  the  parson- 
age, and  Theresa  followed  with  Rudy.  They  found  the 
house  surrounded  with  chairs  and  tables,  the  latter  laden 
with  wine  and  bread,  cheese  and  milk,  sausages  and  cakes, 
enough  for  young  and  old.  After  this  rustic  banquet,  the 
villagers  danced  on  the  green,  being  joined  in  the  pastime 
by  Arner  and  Theresa.  Even  the  general  and  the  pastor's 
wife  danced  too,  and  the  hearts  of  all  were  full  of  joy. 


176  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 


CHAPTER  XXXVH. 

CONCLUSION. 

OVER  a  year  had  passed  since  Arner's  illness,  and  his 
beneficent  activity  flowed  on  unimpeded,  with  less  and  less 
friction  as  each  day  went  by.  He  had  supplemented  his 
innovations  with  laws  which  should  protect  the  interests  of 
the  individual,  and  at  the  same  time  impose  a  restraint  upon 
every  violation  of  order.  The  new  Bailiff,  meanwhile,  took 
a  step  which  astonished  even  Arner  and  the  lieutenant.  He 
assembled  the  whole  community,  and  told  them  that,  without 
any  difficulty  or  hardship,  they  could  collect  within  twenty-five 
years  a  capital  sufficient  to  liquidate  all  taxes  and  duties 
which  clung  to  their  land  like  a  perpetual  rent,  and  thus 
transmit  their  estates  tithe-free  to  their  children.  This  he 
demonstrated  to  them  could  be  easily  accomplished  by  regu- 
larly laying  aside  a  small  proportion  of  each  man's  annual 
gains.  Anybody  who  is  acquainted  with  peasants  knows 
that  they  would  almost  be  willing  to  hang  themselves  for  the 
sake  of  tithe-free  lands,  so  it  may  be  readily  imagined  that 
the  villagers  lent  themselves  with  alacrity  to  the  scheme,  as 
soon  as  they  were  convinced  of  its  practicability.  Cotton 
Meyer  also  succeeded  in  convincing  Arner  and  the  lieutenant 
of  the  reasonableness  of  his  views,  and  they  saw  plainly  that 
a  village  which  was  in  condition  to  amass  a  capital  of  forty 
thousand  florins  in  twenty-five  years  could  do  far  more,  — 
that  this  would  be  but  the  beginning  of  its  prosperity.  The 
impulse  which  had  already  been  given  to  econonvj*  and  thrift 
in  Bonnal  had  so  greatly  reduced  the  number  of  malefac- 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  177 

tors,  that  Arner  now  found  it  possible  to  remove  the  gallows, 
establishing  in  their  stead  a  sort  of  hospital,  in  which  the 
few  criminals  might  be  gently  led  back  to  better  and  more 
orderly  lives. 

In  all  this  time,  not  a  word  had  been  heard  from  the 
Duke.  Bylifsky  was  in  constant  correspondence  with  Arnei, 
and  showed  the  liveliest  sympathy  with  all  that  went  forward, 
but  never  referred  to  the  Prince.  This  surprised  and  dis- 
turbed Arner  a  little,  after  the  interest  the  Duke  had  ex- 
pressed in  their  plans  ;  but  the  lieutenant  recalled  Bylif sky's 
parting  words,  and  felt  sure  he  had  good  reasons  for  his 
silence  on  this  point.  He  was  right ;  the  minister  was  so 
fearful  that  all  would  be  ruined  by  a  premature  examination 
of  the  Bonnal  projects,  before  they  should  become  firmly 
enough  established  to  guarantee  their  success,  that  far  from 
trying  to  heighten  the  Duke's  interest  in  Arner  and  Glulphi, 
he  ceased  to  speak  of  them,  and  did  not  even  oppose  Heli- 
dorus  when  he  ridiculed  the  philanthropic  dreams  of  his 
friends  before  the  court.  Every  one  but  Helidorus  believed 
the  whole  affair  was  a  failure ;  but  the  favorite  was  too 
shrewd  not  to  see  that  the  enemy  had  only  withdrawn  to 
strengthen  himself  for  the  battle  which  sooner  or  later  must 
take  place. 

Arner  was  meanwhile  in  the  greatest  perplexity  with  regard 
to  the  general,  who  inundated  him  with  letters,  imploring 
him  to  cease  making  himself  the  laughing-stock  of  the  court. 
One  day  he  was  sitting,  trying  in  vain  to  concoct  a  satisfac- 
tory answer,  when  he  was  unexpectedly  delivered  from  his 
dilemma.  A  letter  arrived  from  the  minister,  declaring  that 
the  matter  was  now  ripe  for  action,  and  that  he  himself  was 
on  the  point  of  suggesting  to  the  Duke  to  investigate  the 
attempts  which  had  been  made  in  Bonnal,  with  a  view  to 
extending  them  more  widely.  Arner  joyfully  despatched 
this  letter  to  his  uncle,  as  the  best  answer  it  was  in  his  power 
to  give. 


178          LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

At  about  the  same  hour,  Bylifsky  asked  the  Duke  for  a 
private  audience,  and  unfolded  to  him  the  progress  of 
Arner's  projects,  calling  his  attention  to  the  difference 
between  the  popular  institutions  of  this  little  village  and 
those  of  the  realm  at  large,  and  drawing  a  vivid  picture  of 
the  corruption  of  the  land.  "  You  know,  Bylifsky,"  sighed 
the  Prince,  "  how  deeply  I  feel  the  truth  of  your  words ;  but 
I  am  quite  convinced  that  it  is  impossible  to  improve  the 
condition  of  things." 

"Your  Highness,  I  know  it  is  difficult ;  yet  I  am  convinced 
that  there  is  one  way,  and  only  one,  —  and  that  is,  for  the 
government  to  exert  an  influence  on  the  development  of  the 
people." 

"  Is  such  an  influence  possible?" 

"The  success  with  which  Arner's  endeavors  have  been 
crowned  would  seem  to  make  it  so." 

"  Can  you  see  no  difference  between  the  government  of  a 
whole  people,  and  the  private  influence  exerted  by  a  noble- 
man over  his  little  village  ?  " 

' '  Certainly ;  but  the  means  which  Arner  employed  are 
just  as  much  in  the  hands  of  your  Highness,  in  respect  to 
the  country  in  general,  as  they  were  in  Arner's  with  regard 
to  his  village." 

"  I  wish  you  could  demonstrate  the  truth  of  that  state- 
ment." 

"  And  would  the  names  of  Endorf  and  Nelkron  be  a  suffi- 
cient guaranty  ? "  asked  the  minister,  mentioning  the  two 
men  who  stood  respectively  foremost  in  the  state  in  finance 
and  jurisprudence. 

The  Duke  was  thunderstruck  on  learning  that  two  such 
patterns  of  caution  and  political  wisdom  favored  the  designs 
of  Arner  ;  but  he  exclaimed  after  an  inward  struggle :  ' '  No, 
even  they  shall  not  make  me  waste  the  last  quarter  of  my 
life  as  I  have  the  other  three !  "  Then  changing  his  tone, 
he  inquired :  "  What  is  it  that  you  want?  Money?" 


LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE.  179 

"  NO." 

"  Strange !    What,  then,  do  you  desire?" 

"  An  investigation  on  the  part  of  the  state,  as  to  the  pos- 
sibility of  applying  Arner's  principles  to  universal  govern- 
ment." 

"  And  then  what  further? " 

"  The  establishment  of  a  new  professorship,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  acquainting  the  noblemen  of  the  realm  with  better 
principles  of  popular  government,  and  also  the  appointment 
of  a  commission,  whose  duty  shall  be  to  counsel  and  assist 
every  one  who  shows  a  disposition  to  carry  out  these  prin- 
ciples." 

"Strange  —  very  strange!"  mused  the  Prince.  "And 
you  need  no  money?  —  no  buildings? — no  institutions  of  any 
sort?" 

**  Nothing  but  a  few  dozen  account-books,  in  which  to 
register  all  that  is  done  by  those  connected  with  this  com- 
mission, so  as  to  have  everything  clear  before  one's  eyes, 
like  a  merchant's  debit  and  credit  account." 

The  Duke  meditated  with  himself  a  while,  and  then  resolved 
to  appoint  a  commission,  under  the  control  of  Helidorus,  to 
set  forth  the  objections  and  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a  uni- 
versal application  of  the  scheme  ;  after  which  Bylifsky  should 
have  the  privilege  of  replying  to  each  point  raised. 

When  the  documents  were  placed  in  the  Prince's  hands, 
he  marvelled  at  the  weakness  of  Helidorus's  side,  and  sum- 
moning Bylifsky,  told  him  he  had  decided  to  investigate 
whether  Arner  had  really  accomplished  all  that  was  claimed 
for  him,  and  if  so,  whether  it  were  possible  to  extend  his 
innovations  to  other  villages,  and  so  through  the  whole 
country.  "  And  to  insure  thoroughness,"  added  the  Duke, 
* '  there  must  be  among  the  examiners  men  skilled  in  law  and 
finance,  merchants,  clergymen,  government  officials,  school- 
masters and  physicians,  beside  women  of  different  ranks  and 


180  LEONARD  AND  GERTRUDE. 

conditions,  who  shall  view  the  matter  with  their  woman's 
eyes,  and  be  sure  that  there  is  nothing  visionary  in  the  back- 
ground." 

He  proposed  to  Helidorus  to  choose  one  department  for 
himself  in  the  investigation,  but  the  favorite  declined,  pre- 
ferring to  watch  the  game  from  a  distance.  He  only  gave 
the  Duke  a  parting  bit  of  advice,  as  the  latter  was  setting 
out  for  Bounal.  "These  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "know  that 
you  are  coming,  and  have  wound  up  their  clock  so  that  it 
will  go  during  your  stay  ;  but  if  you  can  manage  to  stop  the 
principal  wheels  for  awhile,  you  will  perhaps  be  able  to  see 
the  weakness  of  the  whole  machine." 

The  Prince  had  forbidden  the  examiners  to  express  any 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  several  departments  on  which 
they  were  engaged,  until  they  had  reported  to  him  ;  and  this 
was  a  wise  regulation.  For  at  first  sight,  the  whole  affair 
seemed  too  ambitious,  too  exalted,  for  its  universal  appli- 
cation to  lie  within  the  power  of  man.  Yet  as  they  exam- 
ined the  details,  day  after  damy,  they  became  more  and  more 
convinced  of  the  practicability  of  the  whole,  and  on  the  sixth 
day  they  unanimously  recommended  the  introduction  of  the 
same  principles  into  general  government. 

The  Duke  could  hardly  believe  the  evidence  of  his  senses, 
when  he  found  what  had  been  accomplished  by  the  simple 
application  of  human  industry  and  wisdom  He  talked  with 
the  lieutenant  and  Cotton  Meyer;  he  saw  the  children  of 
Hubel-Rudy,  who  had  formerly  lived  in  the  depths  of  pov- 
erty and  wretchedness ;  and  Glulphi,  pointing  to  Gertrude, 
said  :  "  It  was  she  who  made  them  orderly  and  industrious, 
and  she  it  was  who  had  my  school  in  her  room,  long  before 
I  ever  thought  of  it ;  without  hers,  I  never  should  have 
made  mine  what  it  is." 

The  Prince  was  deeply  moved  by  all  he  saw  and  heard ; 
he  felt  himself  so  carried  away  by  his  sympathy  as  to  be  no 


LEONAED  AND  GERTRUDE.          181 

longer  capable  of  a  calm  and  disinterested  judgment.  At 
this  moment  he  bethought  himself  of  the  advice  of  Heli- 
dorus.  "  I  will  be  impartial,  and  will  stop  the  wheels  I  "  he 
exclaimed.  Accordingly,  he  said  to  Arner,  the  lieutenant, 
the  pastor  and  Cotton  Meyer:  "You  must  all  four  go  to 
Sklavenheim,  where  I  will  leave  you  alone  three  days ; 
during  this  period,  examine  the  place,  and  find  out  how  far 
you  can  apply  your  theories  to  the  orphans  and  prisoners 
there.  I  will  meanwhile  try  to  take  a  calmer  view  of 
matters  here,  which  seem  to  float  before  me  as  hi  a  dream." 

When  they  had  gone,  the  Duke  watched  with  the  eyes  of 
a  lynx,  to  see  whether  he  could  detect  any  change  in  the 
affairs  of  Bonnal,  but  in  vain ;  everything  went  its  accus- 
tomed way,  precisely  as  before.  On  the  fourth  day  he  set 
out  for  Sklavenheim,  with  no  expectation  of  what  awaited 
him.  Under  the  lieutenant's  charge  he  found  a  school  like 
the  one  in  Bonnal,  begun  with  twelve  orphan  children ;  ten 
men  from  the  House  of  Correction  had,  under  Meyer's  in- 
struction, made  rapid  progress  in  the  art  of  spinning ;  while 
Arner  and  the  pastor  had  collected  facts  with  reference  to 
the  history  and  treatment  of  the  prisoners  and  the  seventy 
orphans,  which  threw  a  hideous  light  on  the  present  con- 
dition of  popular  institutions  in  the  land. 

"While  the  Prince  stood  lost  in  wonder  at  the  work  of  three 
days,  he  was  aroused  by  a  noise.  The  band  of  prisoners  and 
the  troop  of  children  lay  at  his  feet,  and  begged  for  fathers 
and  guides  like  these  four  gentlemen.  "  Rise  up,  ye  cap- 
tives ! "  he  cried  ;  "  rise  up,  my  children !  Your  fate  is  in 
their  hand."  He  could  say  no  more.  The  children  re- 
mained upon  their  knees,  and  a  holy  silence  reigned,  while 
all  hearts  were  filled  with  sweetest  promise  for  the  future. 


ADVERTISEMENTS 


History  of  the  United  States 


By  ALLEN  C.  THOMAS,  A.  M. 

PROFESSOR  OF  HISTORY,  HAVERFORD  COLLEGE,  PENN.;   AUTHOR  OF  AN  ELEMENTARY 
HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


New  Edition.     Entirely  Rewritten. 
New  Illustrations.     New  Maps. 
History  to  the  Summer  of  1901. 

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from  authentic  sources,  and  40  accurate  maps,  indicat- 
ing territorial  changes  and  growth,  which,  together  with 
its  new  binding  and  additional  pedagogical  aids,  make 
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States  History  yet  published. 


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19 


An  Elementary 
History  of  the  United  States 

By  ALLEN  C.   THOMAS,   A.  M. 

AUTHOR  OF  A  HISTORY  OF  THX  UNITED  STATES. 


The  Elementary  History  serves  as  an  introduction 
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ment, and  how  they  were  met  and  conquered;  the  inde- 
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triumphed;  the  effect  of  environment  upon  character; 
the  development  of  the  people  in  politics  and  govern- 
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of  patriotism  and  achievement,  and  yet  preserves  accu- 
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11 


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